Sidelines: Tales of the Assist Trophies
by QuackNSnack
Summary: Assist Trophy: An item capable of summoning a random character to aid the user. Follow their adventures as they prove their worth on the battlefield. Of course, with the variety of assistants around, it won't be easy...
1. Bomberman's Lament

It had been a couple of months since the newest Super Smash Brothers tournament had officially begun to much fanfare. Many viewers cheered the arrival of long-awaited newcomers such as King K. Rool from Crocodile Isle, Isabelle from the Animal Forest, and the sensational Incineroar from the Alola region. Even the conference that announced a humble Piranha Plant would join the battle was enough to bring plenty of attention for how utterly unexpected it was. Thus, the kickoff was a success, much to the happiness of all the participants.

Yet amidst all the glitz and glamor, there was another group of characters that went relatively unnoticed by the coverage. In fact, even some of the newer Smashers wouldn't be able to find them unless given directions. These individuals were known as Assist Trophies, people that would pop out of a mysterious capsule and use their skills to aid the Smashers. Although they didn't get nearly as much attention as the Smashers, their appearance was still appreciated by all.

But for some Assist Trophies, the feeling was not mutual…

* * *

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Ungh…"

With a pink, globular hand, Bomberman shut his alarm off and rubbed his eyes. It was only 7:30? He regretted setting his alarm this early. If only Dr. Wright didn't feel the need to hold those meetings every morning…

But griping wouldn't change the fact that he still had to get up, so get up he did, rolling out of bed and checking his internal components. All systems seemed to be running smoothly. With that in mind, he walked out of his bedroom and into the main lounge.

Two other Assist Trophies were already sitting there. One of them, a smartly-dressed pink rabbit, turned and waved to the robot. "Hey! Good morning, Bomberman!"

Bomberman waved sleepily to the rabbit. "Morning, Baito. You seem energetic today."

"Yeah, I am!" replied the rabbit. "I mean, it just sorta sunk in that _wow,_ I'm actually _here_! Among all these heroes! They're all_ here_! _I'm_ here!"

"Now, now, not all the Smashers are heroes, per se," replied the other Assist Trophy, a blue vixen named Krystal wielding a staff. "Honestly, it's a wonder how they let that Ridley fellow in…"

"Oh, right..." replied Baito, rubbing the back of his head. "But still! I get to be alongside all these icons! It's _amaaazing_!"

Bomberman smiled, even if he technically didn't have a mouth. Both of them had been announced as Assist Trophies at the same time. While Bomberman had gotten an interview, and was subsequently offered an assist position, to his knowledge, Baito had never even sent in an application. It was only natural that he would still feel this excited, even a couple months after the tournament started.

The door burst open, interrupting the robot's train of thought. An orange creature with an apron and a toque stumbled in, looking very tired indeed. "Man, I'm beat..." he muttered to no one in particular.

"Good morning, Chef Kawasaki!" chirped Bomberman. "Uh… you okay? You look tired…"

"I've had to cook breakfast for all fifty-nine of you. And some of you don't even eat!" He slumped against the wall. "The food's ready in the kitchen. Man, I need a break…"

"Yes, thank you, Kawasaki, that will do," came another voice. A short man with tall green hair and a brown suit stepped into the room. "I suppose we must hold our morning meeting over breakfast today." He pushed a small button on the wall. "Good morning, assistants! Rise and shine! We've got another busy day ahead of us!"

One by one, the Assist Trophies filed into the main lounge, even those that didn't have bodies to speak of. Some of them looked more tired than others, with Riki still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Must Doctor wake up sidekicks so early?" asked the Nopon. "Riki was having wonderful dream about Wifeypon…"

"Now, Riki," said Dr. Wright, "we must get up bright and early if we are to assist the fighters."

"The fighters…" Chef Kawasaki's eyes widened. "Oh, no! _I've gotta cook breakfast for the Smashers!_" He scurried out of the main lounge, muttering something about needing plenty of butter.

"...Right, then. At any rate, today's morning meeting will come to order. We'll begin with our roll call." Dr. Wright took out a clipboard. "Akira?"

"Here," said the martial artist.

"Alucard?"

"I am present."

And so, Dr. Wright went down the list of names, from Ashley to Ghirahim, to Guile, to Krystal, all the way down to Zero. As the Assist Trophies started in on their food, Dr. Wright scanned his clipboard.

"Let's see, what else… Ah! Today's matches are few and far between, so I suppose it's an easy day." Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"However…!" continued the man. "There are still some _minor_ situations that need to be dealt with. For starters… Jeff, some of the transporters are on the fritz. Might wanna fix that. And Phosphora, a certain… _incident_ with Pichu has resulted in an outage in the East Wing. I trust you can handle that. And as you all know by now, you must be prepared in case you are summoned for a battle. And… that should be it for today! Very good. Meeting concluded!"

The Assist Trophies finished their breakfast and filed off in different directions. Bomberman had nowhere else to be, so he simply stayed in the lounge with some of the others. Baito got up to pour himself some coffee.

"Oh, man, I hope I get summoned today!" said Baito, mixing in the cream. "It sure beats standing around in the shop all day…"

"Ah, yes," replied Krystal, opening a newspaper to read. "You're still running the shop, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" affirmed Baito. "I'm in charge of the Trophy Shop! Kinda weird how they still call it that when they don't sell trophies anymore… But I still get plenty of business! Like, just a couple of days ago, _Mario_ showed up! In _my_ shop!"

Bomberman stared out the window, only partially paying attention to the rabbit's recollection of his brush with fame. He remembered when he had first heard of the Super Smash Brothers tournament. He'd sent in many applications, but only now could he score an interview. Even though he would have liked to be a real fighter, he still considered being here at all a huge honor.

"I mean, I got to meet Mario! The real Super Mario himself!" Baito continued. "Man, being an Assist Trophy is great!"

"Wah, you say that now, but give it a couple of years. You'll change your tune."

Everyone turned to the speaker, a tall, lanky, and unpleasant-looking man with a crooked mustache. The man scowled miserably into his omelette. "Believe me, the novelty wears off quickly."

"Oh, hi, Waluigi!" said Baito with a cheerful wave. "What makes you say that?"

"I'm-a saying this whole Assist Trophy racket is a sham!" declared Waluigi. "They invited almost everyone from my world, even Daisy and some random weed! And to make matters worse, now Luigi's gonna be with Daisy all the time! It's-a not fair!" Waluigi accentuated this with a pound of the table.

"Oh, stop griping already," said Gray Fox, a cyborg wielding a sword. "In a sense, aren't we all fighters, if only for a fleeting moment?"

"Easy for you to say, Robo Ninja," retorted Waluigi. "You've only been here twice! Once you've been here long enough, you'll see what a sham this whole thing is."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but the purple guy's right," said Samurai Goroh, a portly but muscular man with a katana of his own. "How come we're stuck in this dump while the fighters get all the spotlight?"

"D-dump?!" Baito looked thunderstruck. "W-whaddya mean? This place—" he gestured to the room they were in— "is amazing! Aren't you glad you're here at all?"

Waluigi and Samurai Goroh stared down at the little rabbit. "Say, uh, how many tournaments have you been in exactly?" asked Goroh.

"Oh, well, this is actually my first one!" replied Baito, innocent smile on his face.

Both men looked at Baito with a mixture of pity and superiority. "Yeah, that figures. You're new here, so everything seems all new and fresh," said Samurai Goroh. "But lemme tell you, the shine comes off the apple real quick." The samurai turned to go, muttering under his breath.

Waluigi also got up. "I'm outta here, too. I've gotta go plug up Luigi's door with syrup. Have fun languishing in obscurity for the rest of your lives, losers! Waaa ha ha ha!" And with those words, the purple-clad man stomped away.

Krystal huffed. "What's _their_ problem? You'd think they'd be a little nicer to the novices…" Several other Assist Trophies grumbled their agreement. "Ignore them, Baito," she said kindly. "They're just envious that they're not important enough to be Smashers."

"It's—it's okay, you guys," said Baito. "I'm just glad to be here at all! I'm perfectly happy running the Trophy Shop, and—" The rabbit checked his watch— "The shop opens soon! I gotta go! See ya!" He dashed out the door, waving hurried goodbyes to everyone.

Bomberman glanced around the room. Krystal was busying herself with her paper, while Gray Fox was gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Neither of them seemed to be waiting for him to speak, so he figured he might as well take his leave. Without another word, he slipped out the door.

* * *

Bomberman meandered down the halls, not exactly sure of where he was going. To be honest, he didn't really mind. The Smash Mansion was big enough for an adventure, yet small enough that he'd always end up somewhere. Sort of like the mazes back home. It was comfortable like that.

The robot passed by the cafeteria, where several of the Smashers were wrapping up their breakfast. Chef Kawasaki stumbled out the door, looking even more exhausted than earlier.

"Ooogh…"

"Er, hey, Kawasaki," greeted Bomberman. "Everything all right?"

"All right?!" asked the cook. The bags under his eyes hung low. "I've just had to cook breakfast for over seventy Smashers! And two of them are Kirby and Dedede! I mean, seriously, who asks for _eighteen helpings_ of pancakes?!" He slumped against the wall. "I really hope I don't get summoned today… After the morning I've had, if I go out there I'll be tenderized like Bowser's favorite steak!"

"Oh, geez, uh… that's rough," replied Bomberman. "What about lunch?"

"Please don't remind me," said Kawasaki. "I know this sounds weird coming from me, but right now the last thing I want to think about is food."

"Oh, sorry." Bomberman sat down against the wall next to him. The two sat against the wall in silence, watching the world go by.

By now, several of the Smashers were filing out of the cafeteria. As they passed, the two assistants could hear a voice (they guessed Pit's, based on the enthusiasm) chatting about the day's matches. "Oh, boy! I've got a match against Samus today!" said the angel. "This is gonna be great!"

Kawasaki huffed in thought. "That angel kid, I tell you… Don't get me wrong, he's a good kid, but he eats like a… thing that… eats a lot. You know, I thought I had a pretty metaphor in mind, but I lost it."

"Mmm." Bomberman nodded. He knew what that was like. "...Hey, Kawasaki, can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Do you like being an Assist Trophy?"

Kawasaki blinked. "Hunh?"

"I mean, do you like being on the sidelines?"

Kawasaki pondered on the robot's words. "Well, I can't really say I hate it," he said, closing his eyes. "At the very least, it's a break from cooking! Why do you ask?"

"Oh! Uh… I was just curious," said Bomberman quickly.

If the cook was suspicious of his answer, he didn't show it. "Suit yourself." There was a long silence.

Bomberman sat there as the last of the Smashers left the cafeteria. A thought occurred to him. "Hey, Chef, I—"

Kawasaki was fast asleep, the bustle of the morning clearly taking its toll on him. "Uh, okay," said the robot, getting up to go. "I'll just… leave you to it."

Chef Kawasaki said nothing, for he was still fast asleep.

"...Right. I'll… see you around, I guess." Bomberman slowly got up and walked off.

The moment Bomberman was out of earshot, Chef Kawasaki awoke with a start. "_A horse_! He eats like a horse!"

He looked around. No one was there.

"...I guess I should start on lunch."

* * *

Bomberman walked down a flight of stairs as he continued his journey. He wondered if the day's matches had started yet. Probably not, based on the silence coming from the stages. He wondered if he would be summoned today. If he was, he hoped he'd get to help someone heroic like Link or Kirby, or a fellow robot like R.O.B. or Mega Man. Or maybe Snake or Simon or Richter, some of his colleagues! He smiled as he remembered their first collaboration, a fighting game much like the one they were in. And then they'd all later appear in one of his own projects! Those were good times indeed.

But in this tournament, things were different. They were all in the same place, yes, but things weren't quite the same. With all the training Snake and Simon needed to get in, they barely had time to chat with him, only managing passing hellos at best. And while Snake's return was highly praised by all, and Simon's inclusion was met with plenty of fanfare, as an Assist Trophy, Bomberman didn't get that exposure.

Waluigi and Samurai Goroh's words crept back into his head. _This whole Assist Trophy racket is a sham..._

_How come we're stuck in this dump while the fighters get all the spotlight... _

_The shine comes off the apple real quick… _

_Have fun languishing in obscurity for the rest of your lives, losers!_

Bomberman shook his head. This was no time to get all mopey! He could be summoned at any moment! And anyways, it was just like Krystal said, those guys were just bitter about not becoming official fighters!

...But then again, they'd been Assist Trophies since the whole program was created. Didn't they have a right to be bitter?

"One! Two! That's it! Keep the onslaught going and don't let up!"

The sharp words snapped the robot out of his brooding. In his wandering, he had reached the training room, where his fellow assistants were wailing on a set of red punching bags.

Bomberman peeked inside. A tall, muscular man with a flattop haircut was instructing a small creature with pointy ears, a red echidna with dreadlocks, and another man with curly, light blue hair and incredibly long, spring-like arms. Together, they practiced their moves on the punching bags, sending them wobbling back and forth. Bomberman was in awe at the sight.

The spring-armed man caught notice of the robot watching them. He retracted his stretched-out arm to wave. "Oh, hey, Bombe—"

As he took his eyes off the punching bag, it swung back like a pendulum, cuffing the man in the side of his head and knocking him flat to the ground.

The pointy-eared fellow and the echidna paused to watch him fall as the flattop man pinched the bridge of his nose. "Spring Man, what have I told you time and time again? Distractions on the battlefield can mean _death_. A split-second is the difference between a win and a loss!"

"Come on, Guile," retorted Spring Man, peeling himself off the floor. "It's not even that serious. It's just a couple of friendly matches, right?"

"Maybe so," replied Guile, "but as an Assist Trophy, you're expected to give it your all to help the Smashers in battle. And in the training room, it's _Coach_ Guile to you." His eyes fell on Bomberman. "Ah, Bomberman. You here for training?"

"Oh, no, don't mind me! I'm just here to watch! Besides," he said with a wink, "I much prefer a more _explosive_ style of battle!" He took out one of his own bombs to accentuate his pun.

Nobody laughed.

"...Never mind." Bomberman embarrassedly put away his bomb.

"Now then, where were we? Knuckle Joe! Knuckles! Spring Man! Back to drills! One-two! Uppercut!"

The combatants went back to their drills as Bomberman leaned against the wall. Amidst the sounds of their fists pounding the punching bags, he could hear Knuckles say, "Y'know, they actually offered me a spot as a Smasher."

"Did they, now?" replied Knuckle Joe, hitting a punching bag square in the center.

"Oh, yeah," said Knuckles, clobbering his own bag. "Thing is, they had me down as an Echo of Sonic, and ya know, that just didn't fit me. So I turned 'em down, rather have the Assist Trophy title."

"Mm-hmm." From the sound of it, Knuckle Joe found the echidna's claims hard to believe.

As the two of them continued to chat, Bomberman watched them practice with dwindling interest. He was about to leave when he bumped into someone at the entrance. "Oh, pardon me, I… wait a minute, I think I know you!"

Staring down at Bomberman was a young boy, looking no older than 17, with messy blond hair, a red chest plate under a blue tunic, and a sword on his back. He looked confused at Bomberman's statement. "You… you do?"

"Yeah!" replied Bomberman excitedly. "You're Isaac from Vale! It's great to finally meet you!" He extended an arm in greeting.

Isaac's eyes went wide as he shook it. "Y-you actually recognize me? Gee, that's… that's rare," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, I know you!" said Bomberman. "A lot of people have been talking about you! Are you here for training?"

"Nah," said Isaac, leaning against the wall next to the robot. "I'm not one for hand-to-hand combat. Unless, of course, it's Psynergy." He conjured a large, magical green hand to accentuate his pun.

Bomberman laughed. "You know, I just said the same thing a couple minutes ago!"

Isaac's little pun led into a long conversation, the two of them comparing combat maneuvers and trading stories of their amazing adventures. Right around the same time, Guile's crew was on break, and Knuckles was wrapping up his somewhat-tall tale of how he had graciously accepted the role of Assist Trophy.

"At any rate," concluded Knuckles, "even if I am just an Assist Trophy, I could still take on half the clowns walkin' around here. Ah, to be a _real_ Smasher…"

Bomberman and Isaac paused to listen to the echidna's bragging. The robot shook his head. "Get a load of this guy, saying he was almost a fighter. I betcha he didn't even send in an application…"

Isaac's expression grew dark. "Yeah, I bet," he mumbled.

The sudden change in mood was not lost on Bomberman. "Hey, uh, you okay?" he asked tentatively.

The Venus Adept turned away. "It's… it's fine."

"You don't _sound_ fine."

The little robot was very perceptive, Isaac had to admit. "When they first announced this whole tournament, I sent in a bunch of applications, and I even got an interview. Do you remember the Fighter Ballot?"

"Yeah," Bomberman recalled. "If I remember correctly, you had a lot of support there, right?"

Isaac nodded. "I got a bunch of support in the media and from the fans. Anyways, they announced this tournament, I got the interview and a couple months passed with no word. At that point, I was so sure I was gonna get in. There was even a rumor that I was chosen. Me and a couple of other guys. But then…" The boy paused. Bomberman waited, saying nothing but knowing exactly what came next.

"Then they aired that conference, and guess who was one of the first Assist Trophies they showed?" As low as Isaac's voice was, the bitterness that flowed out was palpable.

Bomberman was silent for a while. "I'm… I'm sorry, Isaac. I know how much that must've—"

"No, no, it's okay. Really," he said, looking at the expression on Bomberman's face. "It's just… I was so close, you know?"

There was a long silence. Even Guile seemed to pity him. Then Bomberman spoke up. "Hey, I know that must really suck, but… look at it this way! From what I hear, not all the Assist Trophies from past tournaments made it back! The higher-ups must've seen something in you! A-and now that there's a lot of uproar over your status, you're pretty much a shoo-in for next time!"

Bomberman's words didn't completely raise the boy's spirits, but they definitely helped. Isaac managed a small smile. "...Thanks. I guess I needed to hear that."

"Alright, guys, break's over," said Guile, interrupting the moment. "Matches are starting soon. Back to your drills!"

"Yes, sir!" said Knuckle Joe, Spring Man, and Knuckles, the three of them jumping to their feet. Without delay, they were back in front of the punching bags, assaulting them with a barrage of punches.

"Oh, the matches are starting soon!" said Bomberman, jumping to his feet. "I'd better get ready just in case! I'll see you around!"

"Yeah, you, too," said Isaac, his smile just a little wider. The last thing Bomberman saw as he ran off was Isaac looking contemplatively at a spare punching bag.

* * *

Bomberman ran into the first room with a television he found, a billiard room, where several Smashers and Assist Trophies alike were gathered. He wedged himself into a seat, right between Bowser and the Wii Fit Trainer. The former stared down his snout at the robot and snorted. "Hey, uh, who let this _reject_ in?"

Bomberman only rolled his eyes. He'd heard many things about the Koopa King, very few of them good. "Don't be so rude, Bowser," said Wii Fit Trainer. "Like it or not, he's still part of this tournament."

"A _part _of this?" Bowser looked falsely taken aback. "He's an _Assist Trophy_. They're the rejects, the _side characters_. He's about as much a part of this tournament as that chump Alfonzo." There was some scattered laughter at Bowser's response.

Bomberman felt his skin grow hot. How _dare_ he claim he's not part of the tournament! And as if he wasn't standing right there! He was overcome with the temptation to pull out one of his strongest bombs and blow that creep away. But he was quickly reminded of the upcoming match. Now more than ever, he desperately hoped to be summoned. Keeping his voice calm, he asked, "So, who's today's match between?"

"It's a one-stock match. Marth vs. Duck Hunt on the Garden of Hope," said Wii Fit Trainer. Bomberman had heard of Marth. A warrior prince from the land of Altea, incredibly popular among fans for his skill with a sword. Meanwhile, the Duck Hunt team, consisting of a dog, a duck, and an unseen sharpshooter, was not known for their fighting prowess, but the dog's laughter and projectile explosives could really get under an opponent's skin. He didn't care which of them summoned him, as long as he could participate.

"Ooh, the match is starting!" came a voice in the crowd. Everyone stopped their conversations, their attention now directed towards the television. Sure enough, the fighters had warped onto the arena, the music swelling. From a commentator's box far away, Master Hand began the countdown. "3… 2… 1… _Go!_"

The room erupted into cheers as the Smashers charged at each other. The dog grinned as he threw a clay pigeon at Marth, who put up his shield as it dropped to the floor. The prince leapt up towards the animals, bringing his sword down on the duck, who flew out of the way just in time.

As the battle raged on, everyone in the room was glued to the screen, cheering whenever blows were exchanged. Only Bomberman remained silent, hoping and hoping that an Assist Trophy would spawn. Then he'd get his chance. He'd show them.

Just then, the room gasped, snapping Bomberman back to reality. Marth had launched Duck Hunt by throwing a Spiny Shell at him. Was the match over already? No, wait, Duck Hunt was already falling back down to the stage. Marth gripped his sword, preparing to launch the animals once and for all.

Then it happened.

An Assist Trophy, that wonderful, rainbow-colored capsule, appeared a couple feet away from Marth. Bomberman's breath hitched as Marth turned to notice it. _This is it,_ he thought. _Time to show 'em what I'm made of_!

But just before Marth could pick it up, the dog kicked a tin can filled with gunpowder at the prince, detonating it on top of his head. Marth sailed away as the dog chased after him.

_No, no, no!_ thought Bomberman. _Don't knock him out yet!_

The dog watched as Marth tried to recover, laughing at him the whole while. The duck pecked at the dog's head to get his attention. It pointed at the Assist Trophy. The dog grinned in response, bounding toward the colorful capsule.

Bomberman's breathing grew faster and faster. _Come on, come on, come on…_

The moment the dog's paw touched the item, Bomberman felt a strange feeling in his back. His hands started to glow, then his arms, spreading towards the rest of his body. _Yes, yes, yes! This is my moment of glory!_

The robot floated up in the air for a couple moments, then disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

When Bomberman opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on what felt like… porcelain? He looked down. It really _was_ porcelain after all.

"Woof!"

Bomberman got down from the large pot he was on. There was his summoner, wagging his tail and gazing at the robot expectantly. Bomberman reached out to pet the dog. He was rather cute when he wasn't laughing at someone.

The duck quacked sharply, getting both of their attention. Marth had already made his way back onto the stage and was charging towards them.

Quick as a whip, Bomberman pulled out a bomb, its fuse lit and ready to go. "Time to prove my worth! I'm gonna have a _blast_ today!"

Nobody laughed.

Bomberman paid them no mind, as he was already placing down bombs and deftly dodging their explosions. But for every bomb that exploded on Marth, there was one that the prince dodged, slashing at the robot at every opportunity. It came to a head when Marth hit him with a wicked overhead slash, sending him sailing into a stick on the other side of the stage.

His head swimming, Bomberman peeled himself off the ground. He struggled to steady himself. He was fine, he was fine! He could still fight! Look, Marth was retreating! He could still win this!

...Duck Hunt was also retreating, the duck picking up the dog with his wings to fly away. Odd.

A bubble floated past his head. Bomberman looked at it curiously. Then another bubble came, and another, and another…

The ground began to shake. A thought occurred to Bomberman. What had they said about the Garden of Hope again?

A shadow fell over the robot. He slowly turned around…

A giant, sickly green crab was scuttling across the stage, staring down at Bomberman with blank yellow eyes. And it wasn't showing any signs of stopping as it charged towards him.

"_Oh, good Lord_!"

With a swipe of its claw, Bomberman went flying, and thought no more.

* * *

When Bomberman came to, he was back in the billiard room, lying face-up on the floor. He could feel the Wii Fit Trainer dabbing a wet towel on his forehead. Woozily, he sat up. "Di… did we win?"

"Of course you didn't!" laughed Bowser. "After you got knocked out, that Peckish Aristocrab ran right over Duck Hunt!"

Bomberman glanced over at the TV. Sure enough, Marth was posing for the cameras as the crowd cheered, while the dog was politely applauding in the corner, looking slightly beat up but otherwise none the worse for wear.

"What was that about being a part of the team?" asked Bowser, his voice dripping with derision. "Some team member _he_ turned out to be!"

Bomberman glared at the Koopa King. He was not about to let that brute dampen his mood. "I sure gave Marth a run for his money," he growled.

"And what good did that do?" grinned Bowser. "In the end, he still beat Duck Hunt. If you're supposed to be the helper, then why aren'tcha good at helping? Maybe it's a good thing you're not a _real_ Smasher. You don't have what it takes. Just like that chump Waluigi!"

The room erupted with laughter, mostly from the meaner Smashers. Once again, Bomberman felt the intense desire to pull out some bombs and watch the whole room explode. But his body, already sore from the match, said otherwise. Without another word, he limped out of the billiard room and into the hallway.

* * *

Far, far, away from all the action, a lone bus drove down an old beaten path. The chauffeur, an old salty kappa by the name of Kapp'n, drove his vehicle, paying close attention to the road and making sure his blinker was off. For he was not just an Assist Trophy, oh no! He was the official chauffeur for the Smashers, taking them to and from the grounds on request. So he faithfully carried out his duties, singing his classic sea shanties as he went along.

Today's passengers, however, were less than enthused.

"Please, for crying out loud, shut _up_," hissed Falco, rubbing his temples. "I shoulda taken my Arwing…"

"Your Arwing? For a quick trip to pick up some milk?" asked Ness, sitting opposite the bird. "That seems kinda overkill, don'tcha think?"

"Maybe, but here's the thing." Falco's voice became hushed. "I _really_ don't wanna listen to this old geezer's lousy songs."

"Gar, I can hear that, ya scallywag!" barked Kapp'n. "You space folks don't know how to appreciate a proper sea shanty! Now where was I… ah!

_Me boat's like a steed, a steed from a storybook. _

_Once you give her a look, you'll see what I mean…"_

"This isn't even a boat," grouched Falco. Kapp'n paid him no mind.

"_She's a proud girl, and she runs hard to get you on yer way._

_She be humble, but she'll rumble._

_Aye, a-storm she's a fearsome sight to be seen!"_

The bus stopped, and fortunately for Falco, so did the kappa's singing. The doors opened and two children, one in blue and the other in pink, hopped on board. "Hi, Mr. Kapp'n!" they said in unison.

"Ahoy, Ice Climbers!" greeted the kappa as the two plopped down in their seats. "I was just in the middle of a merry sea shanty!"

"A sea shanty?" said Nana, eyes shining. "You know, I'm pretty good at singing myself."

"Yeah, but I'm a way better alto," added Popo.

"Oho, you two are classically trained, are ye? Well, perhaps you could join me as backup singers!" replied Kapp'n with a wink. And so, the three began to sing a new song:

"_Stayin' young's about having a mischievous smile._

_You won't grow old for a while, with a gleam in your eye…"_

Falco buried his face in his feathered hands. "I knew I shoulda brought some earplugs…"

* * *

Back in the Smash Mansion, Bomberman continued down the hallway, grumbling to himself. He was still pretty sore (physically and emotionally) about being run over by that giant crab, and Bowser's subsequent put-downs. The Koopa king had a reputation for being a hostile, tyrannical bully, so his words shouldn't have hurt as much as they did. And yet, no matter how many times he tried to brush them off, Bowser's words still kept coming back. _Maybe it's a good thing you're not a real Smasher. You don't have what it takes…_

Bomberman was reminded of his talk with Isaac in the training room. He'd been trying to get in for years, even getting cut from the fourth tournament, and then to come back with no promotion? Suddenly, he was starting to see why they were so bitter. They'd been here for years, with nary a glance spared towards them. Maybe they were—

"_Hey_! Watch where you're going, Bomb Boy!"

Bomberman jolted out of his funk. He'd bumped into someone, a teenage girl with blonde crescent-shaped hair. She didn't seem too pleased to run into the robot.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss, uhhh…"

"Lightning Flash Phosphora," she finished airily. "But most people just call me Phosphora."

"Oh…" Bomberman remembered Dr. Wright mentioning her during the morning meeting. After the day he'd had, he really wanted to talk to someone. "So, um… did you finish up on the East Wing?"

"Finished up? Puh-lease. A simple power outage is child's play for someone like me," she said with a flip of her hair. "The nerve of those hands, honestly, treating _me_ like their little repair girl. I'm telling you, Assist Trophies don't get an ounce of respect here!"

"...They don't?" Bomberman was intrigued; he'd never heard her thoughts on the matter.

"Of course not! We never get any of the attention, even though we're just as much a part of the battle as the fighters are! Imagine if _I _was a real Smasher… I'd wipe out some of these clowns before they knew what hit them!" She sighed. "But _noooo_, I'm stuck on the same level as a spiky rock with a face."

"Hey, I know how you feel," said Bomberman helpfully. "But think about it this way. The world needs sidekicks, too! Take the Duck Hunt duo! They—"

"Oh, easy for you to say," interrupted Phosphora. "This is your first time here. From what I've heard, most of us assistants end up stuck here like Dr. Wright, or get let go like Saki. And from the looks of things, _I'm_ ending up like Wright."

"But—"

"Just forget it, all right?!" she huffed. "I don't need to be pitied, especially not by _you_." And with that, she floated away, grumbling about how life was so unfair.

Bomberman groaned. _That conversation could've gone a lot better_, he thought. That made three others who weren't too fond of their positions. He trudged down the hallway as he thought about what to do next. As he turned a corner, he failed to notice the string pulled taut across the first stair…

Down, down, down the robot tumbled, bumping his head and bending his antenna, before finally landing face first on the floor. Bomberman could hear an all-too-familiar voice, ringing above it all:

"Wahahaha! How's-a that floor taste, loser?!"

Even if Bomberman didn't know Wario, had never heard of Wario, the man's reputation would precede him. A wicked, crude scoundrel of a man, Wario often busied himself by going on treasure hunts or playing tricks on unsuspecting passersby. And unfortunately for Bomberman, Wario was feeling particularly wicked that day. He cackled at the robot's misfortune.

"Wahahaha! Look at you, flat on the ground! You're like a mop! Bomberman, more like Mop… der… man, I guess…"

Bomberman glared up at his assailant. Oh, how he longed to pull out a bomb and just shove it into Wario's big mouth! How he longed to send Wario flying into the sky like the world's ugliest firework! How he longed to set his mustache ablaze and blow his teeth clean out!

Wario wiped a tear from his eye. "Ohoho, man, that's-a rich. Never gets old." He paused as he glanced at the robot glaring daggers at him. "What's-a matter with you? Can't you take a joke?" He shrugged. "Eh, whatever. I'm-a getting bored of you anyways. Have fun spit-shining that floor, Bomb Boy! Wahahahaha!" He strolled off in search of new adventures.

Bomberman peeled himself off the floor, feeling as happy as a wet cat. As much as he would have liked to throw a bomb at Wario while his back was turned, he knew that Master Hand would surely be upon him if he caused a scene. Straightening out his antenna as best he could, he stomped off to the cafeteria for lunch.

* * *

"Come on, come on… where is it?!"

Chef Kawasaki frantically ran around as he searched the kitchen. He was almost done with lunch and was a few morsels away from his long-awaited break. Now if he could only find that Endura Carrot…

"Let's see here... Deep-fried Shwaffle… Chinese cabbage… where is it, where _is_ it?!" He checked the freezer. Nothing. The prep table? Nope. The pantry? No sign. Where did he put it?!

At this point, the poor chef was in a panic. He needed that Endura Carrot to finish this salad! Without that salad, his buffet would never be finished! If he could just…

...Wait.

Slowly, he looked down at his apron. There was the Endura Carrot nestled in the pocket, its stem poking cheekily up at him.

Chef Kawasaki let out a nervous laugh. "Well, would you look at that? It was… it was right here the whole time. Ahahaha… All right! Time to finish that—"

His words were interrupted by a strange tugging feeling in his back. His eyes widened as his stubby arms began to glow. _No, no, nonono, not now_—

Chef Kawasaki disappeared in a flash of light, taking his Endura Carrot with him.

* * *

"Ughh… where am I…?"

"Chef Kawasaki? All right!"

The chef opened his eyes. He was sitting on some kind of cloud, with light pink scenery as far as the eye could see. Standing in front of him was the angel knight Pit, looking very gleeful indeed. "Okay, Kawasaki! Time to dish up Samus in a stir fry!" said Pit.

"Okey-dokey!" Chef Kawasaki adjusted his toque and took out his trusty ladle. He looked up at the higher platform where Samus was, her suit glowing like a rainbow.

"...Um, Pit? You know she's got a Final Smash ready?" asked Chef Kawasaki, backing away slowly.

"Exactly. Which is why I need _you_ to help me knock it out of her!" replied Pit, mirroring Kawasaki's movements.

"B-b-but I won't be able to get close to her without getting zapped!" stammered the cook.

"Just throw your plates or—_waugh_!"

Samus had jumped down from her perch and landed right in front of her opponent, keeping her arm cannon trained on them the whole while. Pit stumbled backwards and fell over, right into a pitfall trap he had forgotten about. He was now stuck, his upper half sticking out of the ground like a panicked, winged plant.

Chef Kawasaki looked worriedly at Pit, then at Samus, then back at Pit, and back at Samus again. "I… I… I'll assist you the best way I can!" he shouted. In a burst of bravery, he threw a plate right at Samus' head. It bounced harmlessly off her head and shattered on the ground.

"...Uh."

Samus pulled the trigger.

* * *

Chef Kawasaki fell back in the kitchen, now resembling a burnt squash. He groaned as he rolled over on his back. "You know what," he said to no one in particular, "forget the salad. I think I'll just stay here and… tend to my injuries, I guess."

The Endura Carrot in his hand crumbled into ash.

* * *

Bomberman trudged into the cafeteria, his anger from Wario's prank subsiding. Now only a dull gloom was left. He picked up a pair of tongs and slowly took some sautéed asparagus, not even flinching when a hungry Yoshi licked it up before it even touched his plate. He would have to settle for a veggie wrap.

He scanned the cafeteria, searching for a place to sit. In the corner of his eye, he could see an empty seat. Sitting at this table was a green-haired woman with a sword and a star-like creature. "Is this seat taken?" he asked them both.

"No, go ahead! I'm Lyn," said the green-haired woman. As Bomberman sat down, the star chirped, "Hi, mister! I'm Starfy!"

"Oh, um… hi, Starfy. I'm Bomberman," said Bomberman awkwardly. He tried to take a bite of his veggie wrap, but couldn't help but feel unnerved by the way the way Starfy was staring at him. His eyes were sparkling, and his mouth was wide open in a smile. "Can… can I help you?"

"I know who you are! You're Mister Bomberman!" replied Starfy, jumping up and down in his seat. "You're really famous!"

"F-_famous? Me_?!" said a shocked Bomberman.

"Uh-huh! Everyone in Pufftop knows you! You're like one of those superstars!"

"_Really_?!" Bomberman felt his face grow hot. He never knew that his adventures were that well known.

Lyn nodded. "It's true. In this world, you're quite the popular character."

"Wow…" Bomberman breathed. He was popular? A _superstar_? Looking at Starfy gazing up at him made his heart swell with pride. But the events of the day took their toll on him as he sighed. "I sure wish it felt like that…" he mumbled.

Starfy looked confused. "What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side like a star-shaped puppy.

"It's just… do you ever feel like you got a raw deal?"

"Huh?" Starfy looked even more perplexed. Lyn did not say anything, but kept a thoughtful eye on the robot as he explained.

"It's like… there's this weird thing about being an Assist Trophy where everyone thinks it's the worst thing that can happen to you. And I _know_ that's not the case, but everyone I've talked to feels like it is. Like it's just the dumping ground for the not good enough."

There was a long silence as Bomberman picked miserably at his veggie wrap. Then Lyn spoke up. "I know exactly how you feel."

Bomberman met her gaze. "You do?"

Lyn nodded solemnly "I've been an Assist Trophy since the beginning of the program. At first, it wasn't the ideal way to appear… But you know how I realized things weren't so bad?" She waited as Bomberman and Starfy hung on her words. "I have people worth fighting for."

"Really?" breathed the robot. "Who?"

"Oh, just some people. Both here and back home," she said with a smile. "As long as you have loved ones, wherever they are, know that they're thinking of you. And when you have that, then you can do anything."

"It's true!" chirped Starfy. "I was one of the first Assist Trophies, too! Back then, things were different. Assist Trophies were invincible. They couldn't get hurt… except for me. Everyone was able to beat me up… But I didn't care!" he said proudly. "I thought of Starly, and Moe, and all of my friends back in Pufftop, and I gave it my all! It's called being strong in the face of advicity!"

"Adversity, you mean," corrected Lyn.

Bomberman stared at his veggie wrap. He _did_ have people back home. Knowing them, they'd be waiting on pins and needles to see him on the battlefield. And as aggravating as they could be, they were still his family. A fiery resolve filled his eyes. "I may not be a real Smasher, but I'll still fight as hard as I can!" he declared.

"See, that's the spirit!" said Lyn, taking a bite of her dish.

"In fact," he continued, "I won't lose! I'm not gonna _blow_ it!"

Nobody laughed.

Bomberman quickly sat back down, face flushing. "Or, you know, maybe not…"

And so, the three of them enjoyed their lunch, content with their lot as long as they had each other.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: And now, the secondary characters get their time to shine.**_

_**I've always wanted to write something about the Assist Trophies, especially now that there's more of them here than there were playable characters in Smash 4! **_

_**So... I'd really appreciate it if you gave your thoughts on it, and any suggestions if you have 'em!**_


	2. Dog Days

"_Gone?!_ What do you mean, _gone?!_"

Jeff Andonuts winced as Dr. Wright shouted at him. The two were the same height, but with the look on the doctor's face, Jeff wished he could sink into the floor. "I-I'm sorry, sir, I turned my back for two seconds and it just—"

"No, no, it's okay, I don't blame you," replied Dr. Wright, although he was only partially paying attention to Jeff. His eyes were wide with panic. "Gone… missing… it's only a puppy… who even knows…"

"Um, Dr. Wright?" asked Jeff timidly. "Perhaps we should—"

Dr. Wright suddenly turned to face the boy. "Does anyone else know about this?" he asked, gripping Jeff's shoulders.

"Huh?" said Jeff. "Oh, er, uh, no, I was the only one who—"

"Okay—that's very—we're in it now—could be anywhere—" Dr. Wright took a deep breath to compose himself. He smoothed out his tall green hair and turned to face Jeff. "Okay. At this point in time, we can't let _anyone_ else know about the Nintendog going missing. Not Baito, not Guile, not even Ness. And _especially_ not Master Hand. If _he_ were to find out…" He shuddered at the very thought. "What I want you to do right now is to go and find that dog. Do it quickly and clandestinely. Now go!"

Jeff nodded and dashed out the door, leaving Dr. Wright alone in the main lounge. They'd find the puppy soon… right?

* * *

Jeff did not expect to start his afternoon on his hands and knees looking for a lost puppy under a bush, but he supposed experiences like these kept things interesting. Jeff had gone back outside to the courtyard, the last place he had seen the Nintendog. He had been on walking duty, and had noticed the sight of Diddy Kong flying above him with a jetpack made of barrels. He was pondering the physics of such a device, and was comparing the concept to the Bubble Monkey from back home when he had noticed something was wrong. The leash had gone slack, and the Nintendog was nowhere to be found.

Jeff mentally chastised himself for his moment of distraction. If he had only kept better watch, he wouldn't be in this mess to begin with! The poor creature… Images of the helpless Nintendog in the clutches of someone like Ganondorf or Ridley filled Jeff's head. He quickly shook them off. He didn't have time to worry! He had to find the dog, and quickly!

"Pardon me, but what are you doing, scraping around on the ground like that?"

Jeff hastily got up to meet the speaker. Standing before him was a young boy, not much younger than he was, with short brown hair, a red tunic, and a sword at his hip. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh, hello, Sablé Prince," said Jeff, dusting himself off. "I'm actually just looking for… something."

"Looking for something? Well, I can certainly help you with that," said the prince. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"Oh, no, no, it's nothing," stammered Jeff. "It's fine, I can handle it alone…"

"Preposterous!" responded the prince. "I certainly can't ignore the plight of a friend. Now, what is it that you are looking for? Or is it… some_one? _A lost companion, perhaps?"

Jeff sighed. As impetuous as the Sablé Prince was, he was definitely smarter than he let on. "You know the Nintendog? The little toy poodle? Well, you see… it, err, has… gone missing."

"M-_missing?!_" cried the prince, jumping almost three feet in the air. "Wh—but—how—"

"I don't know!" replied Jeff. "It was there one minute, and the next thing I knew, it was gone!"

The Sablé Prince put a hand to his chin in thought. "Hmmm… a missing dog in such a large mansion such as this… and with no shortage of scoundrels about, this Nintendog is in grave danger!"

"Yes, quite!" agreed Jeff. "But how will I search this whole mansion…?"

"Oh, you needn't worry about that," chuckled the prince. "I, the Prince of the Kingdom of Sablé, will assist you in your endeavors!" He extended his hand.

Jeff took the prince's arm and shook it vigorously. "Oh, thank you, Prince! You're a lifesaver!"

The prince smiled. "Think nothing of it. Now, then, down to business! We must find our missing friend, posthaste!"

Thus, the two set off in search of the lost Nintendog. They could only hope that the little puppy was unharmed…

* * *

The boys stormed through the mansion in search of the poodle. Their first instinct was to simply ask the Duck Hunt duo for help, but Jeff reminded the prince that Dr. Wright had given him orders to keep their search confidential. At any rate, the bloodhound was in no mood to provide assistance, laughing at the two as he slammed the door in their faces.

So the boys set about, searching in every nook and cranny that the puppy might have been hiding, splitting up to have a better chance at finding it. They checked under beds, in cabinets, and behind sofas all over the grounds, but the dog was nowhere to be found. After searching both the East and West Wings with no results, they reunited in the foyer to strategize.

"Have you found it yet?" asked Jeff.

The Sablé Prince shook his head. "No such luck, I'm afraid. In such a large mansion, finding such a small dog has proven to be quite troublesome…"

"Indeed." So the boys sat down, thinking about the next step. If they didn't find the Nintendog soon, word would spread around. A missing Assist Trophy going missing was bad enough, but the Nintendog, of all of them? Master Hand would place the entire site under lockdown. Panic would ensue. And worst of all, some of the more tenderhearted among them would be inconsolable if the dog wasn't found. Jeff thought of Isabelle, who had been an Assist Trophy in the last tournament, or his close friend Ness. Would Ness cry? He'd probably cry. The thought was enough to make Jeff's stomach turn with anguish.

A thought suddenly occurred to the boy. "Hold on. What if we're going about this the wrong way?"

The Sablé Prince looked confused. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"What if," explained Jeff, "instead of looking for the dog, we let the dog come to us? Like, perhaps we should—"

"—set up a pitfall to lure the dog out!" continued the prince. "Jeff, you're a genius! Now, the only question is, where shall we place the bait?"

Jeff adjusted his glasses, making them gleam in the light. "I think I have an idea…"

* * *

After getting an assortment of green beans from Kirby (with the promise to pay him back later), the boys set up their trap right beside the doors to Chef Kawasaki's kitchen. If the alluring smells of the kitchen didn't lure the dog out from its hiding spot, then the scent of green beans would! For indeed, all dogs were attracted to the heavenly aroma of steamed green beans. Or, at least, so the Sablé Prince claimed. With a net on the ground operated by a pulley, the boys stood around the corner and waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

"...How long will this take, exactly?" asked Jeff.

"Patience, now," assured the Sablé Prince. "The dog should be coming any minute now…"

Exactly forty-three minutes passed. Still no dog.

"Okay, I'm starting to get a little worried."

"Patience! It'll come out soon—ah! Look!"

Sure enough, a shadow was approaching the bowl of beans. The two waited as it drew closer and closer. Jeff's hand gripped the rope. They could hear the bowl scraping along the floor as the figure inspected its contents.

"_Now!_"

Jeff yanked the rope, setting off the trap and hoisting the figure up off the ground. They could hear a surprised shout, followed by angry thrashing about.

"Haha!" cried the Sablé Prince, running towards the scene. "We have you now, you little—you little…"

The prince stopped dead in his tracks, his voice trailing off. His face had gone a sickly yellow color.

"What? What is it?" asked Jeff.

The Sablé Prince turned to Jeff. "As… as it happens, we did not find the Nintendog after all," he muttered.

"We _didn't?!_ Then who's in the net?"

"Yes, ah… you might want to see for yourself." said the prince. The boys rounded the corner to check on the net, and what they saw made Jeff's blood run cold.

A young girl with long, dark pigtails and wearing a red dress was currently caught in the net, trying to break free. And currently, she did not look very pleased.

"Oh, dear."

Ashley glared at the two. "Get me down. Now."

"R-right!" The prince drew his sword and cut the net, causing the witch to flop down the floor. She dusted herself and glared daggers at the two. "Explain yourselves," she growled. "Quickly."

Jeff cowered behind the Sablé Prince, who tried his best to look brave. "Ah, good day, Ashley!" he greeted in the closest he could get to a princely, civil tone.

Ashley's eyes bored into the prince. To someone like the Black Knight or Alucard, they would have seen her as a very angry little girl. But royal though he was, the Sablé Prince couldn't help but be chilled to his very soul. "We're looking for the Nintendog," he got out at last. "We tried to use the net to catch it."

The witch was silent for a moment. "…Why green beans?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? No canine can resist the allure of green beans!" said the Sablé Prince proudly, putting his hands on his hips.

"Hold on a moment," cut in Jeff. "Ashley, why were _you_ checking around the beans?"

"I needed them for a spell I'm working on," said the witch plainly. "What about it?"

"Oh, no! No, nonono!" stammered Jeff quickly. A thought came to him. "Say, um, Ashley… You have magic, right? Why don't you help us look for him?"

There was a long silence as Ashley stared. The prince coughed. "...Please?"

"Go away."

"Excellent idea. Farewell!"

So the boys fled the scene as quickly as possible for fear that Ashley would try a new hex on them. They rounded the corner and didn't stop until they were positive that Ashley hadn't followed them. They found themselves back in the foyer, panting and wheezing.

"Well, it seems we're back to square one, as it were," said the Sablé Prince, catching his breath. "What to do now…?"

So the boys meandered down the halls, thinking about where to go from there. Jeff glanced out the window, noticing the Duck Hunt dog chasing a ball outside. Time was running out. If he didn't find the Nintendog soon, who knew how the public would react? They needed a new strategy, and quickly. Jeff looked over at the Sablé Prince. "So… do you have any other ideas?" he asked tentatively.

The prince's eyes were closed, deep in thought. "It doesn't make sense. The Nintendog has to be around here somewhere! It's not as if someone would just steal an innocent puppy…"

Jeff nodded in agreement. "Maybe you're right. I mean, who among us is _that_ evil?"

Jeff's thoughts turned to the likes of Dr. Wily, who was not above kidnapping innocents to achieve his goals. He thought of Ghirahim, a merciless, violent demon lord with a seemingly unquenchable bloodlust. He thought of Mother Brain, a brain-like supercomputer bent on bringing the entire universe to its knees.

...There were a lot more villains than Jeff remembered.

He turned to the Sablé Prince. From the look on the royal's face, he had realized the same thing. "But who would be so vile as to steal an innocent puppy…?"

* * *

"Samurai! Samurai Goroh!"

Jeff pounded on the lanky man's door. No answer.

"Goroh! Open the door!"

Still nothing.

The Sablé Prince stepped forward. "Allow me, Jeff." With the elegance and finesse expected of a young boy raised in nobility, he rapped twice on the door with his knuckle. "Excuse me, Samurai Goroh, but would you be so kind as to open the door?" he asked calmly and politely.

The silence that followed was thick enough to cut with a knife. The prince knocked again. "Samurai Goroh? Please let us in. We're looking for the Nintendog, and we're wondering if you might know anything."

Yet more silence.

The prince took a deep breath. "Open up, you cad," he said, still in that polite, princely tone.

"Go away," came a voice behind the door.

The Sablé Prince huffed. He turned to Jeff. "It seems our friend refuses to assist us in our endeavor. But not to worry!" he said with a wink. "I have my ways."

"What are you going to do?" asked Jeff. Would he explain the situation and hope the racer understood? Perhaps he would turn into a frog and win the man over with his charm and cuteness! Or maybe he would turn into a snake and force the information out of him?

The prince reached into his tunic, pulling out a hefty bag of money. Jeff's eyes went wide. It was more money than he had ever seen in one place, or even his entire life. The prince added a couple more coins to the top of the bag. "Do you think that should be enough?" he asked.

"Wha… How much money do you _have?_" asked an incredulous Jeff.

"Oh, this?" asked the prince, glancing at the sack of coins. "This is just some pocket money I had on me. It should do the trick." He rapped on the door again, oblivious to the look on Jeff's face. "Oh, Goroh! If you tell us something, we'll be able to offer you compensation!"

The door opened a crack. "What kind of compensation?" came the racer's gruff voice.

"Oh, just a _small amount_ of cash," said the Sablé Prince, jingling the rather large amount of cash he held in his hand. "If you would be so kind…?"

The door opened, revealing the rather imposing frame of the F-Zero racer. His pince-nez glasses nearly fell off at the sight of the prince's offering. "_Holy—_h-how much _is_ that?!"

"Oh, just some spare change I had on me," said the prince, a gleam in his eye. "We'll gladly pay you for anything you might know about the Nintendog…"

"Uh, the Nintendog?" asked Goroh, scratching his head. "Hmmm… Well, I can't say I've seen it around…" He reached for the bag of money, but the prince stopped him.

"Are you quite sure?" he asked, jingling the sack of money he held in his hand. "Anything _else_ you might recall? _Anything_ at all?"

"Uhhh…" The samurai racked his brains trying to remember. After being summoned for a battle, he'd gone for a walk, and then he'd seen—

"Oh yeah! Now I remember! I think I saw that little masked weirdo walking around…"

"M-masked weirdo?" asked Jeff. "Who do you mean?"

"You know, that one guy that floats around and wears that creepy mask! I saw him around holdin' one of those little dog carrier things!"

Jeff felt his stomach drop. Skull Kid was known among the assistants for being mischievous, troublesome, and generally unhelpful both on and off the battlefield. If he had the Nintendog in his clutches… well, who _knew_ what he would do!

He turned to the Sablé Prince, whose face had turned very pale. He dropped the sack of coins in Samurai Goroh's hand. "Y-yes, that will do. Thank you, Goroh." They closed the door and immediately took off down the hall. They had to find Skull Kid, and quickly!

* * *

After searching in all of Skull Kid's favorite spots (a maple stump just west of the mansion being his absolute favorite), Jeff and the Sablé Prince finally found him in the courtyard, crouching over a bundle of sticks by a pond. Upon noticing the two, the imp slowly turned to face them. "What do you want?" he asked.

The prince kept a grip on his sword. "Skull Kid," he began, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "We are looking for a certain canine companion of ours. You wouldn't happen to know anything about its disappearance, would you?"

At once, Skull Kid became very nervous, sweating and scratching at his head. "Uh… Nope! I haven't seen any dogs around…"

Neither boy was convinced. "We know you're lying," said Jeff. "What did you do to him?"

"I told you, I don't have anything to do with it!" retorted Skull Kid, who seemed to be slowly floating away. "You guys sure are persistent!"

"Skull Kid…" began Jeff slowly. "If you're lying to us, and you did have something to do with him, then we'll have to get Dr. Wright involved. And you know how _he_ is. He'll go straight to Master Hand. Now we're going to ask you again: Where is the Nintendog?"

Skull Kid slowly lowered to the ground, defeated. "Alright," he muttered. "You got me. I found the dog wandering around outside. It looked pretty lonely, so I figured I'd set it up on a little playdate…"

"A playdate?" repeated the Sablé Prince. "With whom…?"

"You know," answered Skull Kid, "that big, black bow-wow creature that hangs around."

"Bow-wow creature—!" Jeff's blood ran cold as he realized who the imp was referring to. A Chain Chomp, a large, iron dog-like creature with huge teeth was also an Assist Trophy in the tournament, known for its propensity towards biting anything and everything it saw. And the Nintendog was likely at its mercy. "Y-you…!"

"Oh, don't worry," said Skull Kid, now beginning to float away again. "I'm pretty sure the Bow-Wow's bark is worse than its _bite!_ Eee hee hee hee!" And with those words, Skull Kid floated away to cause mischief elsewhere.

The Sablé Prince had blanched. "Jeff…" he whispered, facing away from Jeff. "If the Skull Kid is telling the truth, then…" He trailed off. It was all too clear exactly what would happen.

Or what might have happened already.

"The Chain Chomp…" said Jeff, eyes wild with panic. "After the last tournament, Dr. Wright declared it was too dangerous to keep around, so we keep it someplace separate…"

"Someplace separate?" asked the Sablé Prince. "Where?"

* * *

It was outside, in a fenced-in area, that the Chain Chomp was kept. Due to numerous warnings from residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, it was determined that the metallic beast was too dangerous to keep with the rest of the Assist Trophies. And so it stood, alone in a twenty-by-twenty-foot field. And that was where Jeff and the Sablé Prince's search led them.

"There it is," whispered Jeff. "Do you see the Nintendog?"

The Sablé Prince scanned over the field. "Hmmm… I can't see it from here. We should try another angle."

The two of them crept around the perimeter of the field, taking caution that the Chain Chomp didn't notice them. The beast paid them no mind, being preoccupied with something on the ground. At last, the Sablé Prince's eyes widened, and he tapped Jeff's arm for attention. There was the Nintendog, standing there and wagging its tail without a care in the world.

"Oh, thank _goodness,_" whispered Jeff. But a new dilemma arose. The Nintendog was safe, but in incredible danger. How were they to rescue the Nintendog while carefully avoiding the Chain Chomp?

"It seems we're going to have to split up," said Jeff. "One of us should distract the Chain Chomp, while the other goes in and gets the puppy."

"Very well," replied the Sablé Prince. "I shall rescue the puppy while you distract the Chain Chomp."

"Wait, _what?!_" asked Jeff. "Why do you get to rescue it?"

"Because _you,_" said the prince, now climbing over the fence, "have bottle rockets with which to distract the beast. Now be quick! I'm going in."

As the Sablé Prince crept towards the Nintendog, Jeff set to work preparing rockets. He lit the fuse and watched as a rocket sailed over the field. The poodle immediately stood at attention, wagging its tail and barking at it as it flew overhead. The Chain Chomp, meanwhile, leapt up to lunge at the rocket, biting down to seize it with its teeth. There was a soft crunch, and the pieces of the rocket fell to the ground like paper.

The Sablé Prince froze where he stood. Jeff tried (and failed) not to imagine himself in the rocket's place. The Chain Chomp paused where it stood and sniffed at the air. Sensing no other danger, it returned to the poodle's side, yawning. "Fire another rocket!" whisper-shouted the Sablé Prince.

This time, Jeff elected to use his multi-bottle rockets to distract the Chain Chomp. The rockets flew over their heads, the Chomp eagerly chasing after them. Before the Nintendog could follow suit, the Sablé Prince scooped it up and leapt over the fence like his life depended on it. As he landed, the poodle fell out of his arms and landed safely on the ground.

"We did it!" breathed Jeff as the Sablé Prince came running over. The boys celebrated their success. The Nintendog had been found and rescued from mortal peril! Nothing could sully their victory!

"Ah, yes, the puppy! Where did the little scamp go?" asked the prince.

There was the puppy, waddling back through the fence and right towards the Chain Chomp.

"_Wait a minute—_"

Too late. The poodle had approached the Chain Chomp. Jeff and the Sablé Prince could only watch in horror as the metallic beast drew nearer to the dog, its toothed maw opening wider and wider…!

The Nintendog curled into a ball to rest, the Chain Chomp protectively draping its chain around it.

"...What."

Indeed, the Chain Chomp didn't seem to mean harm to its smaller companion. In fact, it seemed almost fond of the puppy. The boys could only watch in astonishment as the puppy got up and began to chase the larger creature around, occasionally nipping at the chain that trailed behind.

At last the Sablé Prince spoke. "Is this really okay?" he asked Jeff.

Jeff was silent as he watched the two canines play. He'd heard from Mario that the Chain Chomp was a dangerous creature, but… here it just looked like a big, friendly, playful dog.

...How long had it been left here, anyway?

"Maybe… maybe leaving it out here was a mistake," said Jeff at last. "I mean, look at it." He gestured to the two canines, barking and playing in the afternoon sun. "They're so happy together."

The Sablé Prince gazed at them. "It would appear so," he said solemnly. "Be that as it may… I still think it's far too dangerous to let the Chain Chomp indoors."

"Then what do we do?"

The boys thought for a moment. It was clearly too dangerous to let it inside. But at the same time, they clearly couldn't just leave it out here, all alone. What were they to do?

"What it needs," said Jeff, "is to socialize with like-minded creatures."

"Indeed," said the Sablé Prince, nodding his head. "Someone who's playful and sweet, but also capable of wanton destruction."

Jeff pondered on the other boy's words. "...Kirby?"

"Hmmm… no, someone who's destruction is a tad less… apocalyptic."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. Someone a little more low-key. Something like, a super-powered animal or—"

Jeff stopped as the words left his tongue. He glanced at the Chain Chomp, snoozing away with the Nintendog. He locked eyes with the Sablé Prince.

"I have an idea!" they both said in unison.

* * *

"Um… pardon me?"

Jeff stared up at the pink-haired nurse at the entrance to the Pokémon Day Care. The Chain Chomp's chain was held tight in his hand. To his right, the Sablé Prince held the Nintendog in his arms as if it were his newborn child. "Yes, we'd like to register little Bow-Wow at the Day Care," said the Sablé Prince.

"O-oh?" said the nurse, staring at the iron ball. "What… what type of Pokémon is it?"

"It's, uh, not a Pokémon," said Jeff. "It's a Chain Chomp." The Chain Chomp barked in agreement.

"A Chain Chomp."

"Yes," said the boys in unison.

"...Um."

The Sablé Prince reached for his wallet, but Jeff stopped him. "Not yet," he whispered. He turned back to the nurse. "I can assure you that dear Bow-Wow has been properly trained. I promise."

The nurse looked down at the Chain Chomp, its sharp teeth gleaming in the light. "I… suppose it's all right. I mean, I _think_ it's a steel-type…"

And so, the gates to the Day Care opened, allowing Bow-Wow to roam free among the Pokémon, the Sablé Prince allowing the Nintendog to follow suit. They leapt forward with newfound exuberance, eagerly sniffing at the ground and chasing after a cat with a coin on its head. At last they came to rest off to the side, a small avian Pokémon resting on top of the Chain Chomp's iron body.

Jeff and the Sablé Prince breathed a sigh of relief. Ultimately, it had been a good day after all.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: did someone say For the Frog the Bell Tolls?**_

_**I like ****Sablé**** Prince! He's kinda that lovable dumb type.  
**_


	3. Inventory Duty

The sun was setting over the horizon over the grounds. The last of the matches were wrapping up, and Chef Kawasaki had just finished cooking up dinner for everyone, whether they were a fighter, Assist Trophy, or a Pokémon at the Day Care.

The assistants were heading back to the lounge after a long day of being summoned for battles and other, more low-key chores. Currently, they were tucking into a heaping serving of double-layer beef lasagna, making idle chit-chat and swapping stories of adventures in their homeworlds.

"And then, that creep goes and kidnaps our grandpa!" said Callie, an Inkling girl with long black tentacles and one-half of a famous pop duo. She was talking to Baito, who was listening with wide eyes as he soaked in all the details. "So then me, Marie and Agent 3 had to bust our siphons to rescue him _and_ the Great Zapfish! And _then…_"

Eventually, dinner ended, and the table was cleared. The Assist Trophies went their separate ways to relax. One assistant, Spring Man, was heading back to his room to unwind—quite literally, in his case! It had been a long, match-filled day, and he in particular had been summoned quite often. Kirby vs. Shulk, Marth vs. Zelda… Punching, dodging, rushing… As much as loved the matches, at this point he just wanted to relax and chow down on some quality pizza.

As he turned to go, the voice of Dr. Wright called his attention. "Hold on, Spring Man! Just a moment…"

Spring Man walked up to the green-haired man, confusion visible through his mask. "Huh? Whatcha need, Doc Wright?"

Dr. Wright paid no attention to his new nickname. "You're on inventory duty tonight," he said, not looking up from his clipboard.

Spring Man felt as though his legs would give out. "Aw, come _on_, Doc, _inventory?!_ At _this_ hour?!"

"Oh, don't worry," dismissed the advisor with a wave of his baton. "It's just a matter going down to our expansive inventory, counting the eighty-plus items we have in rotation for this tournament, and verifying their quantities and condition. Nothing too difficult!" There was an almost annoying cadence to top off that sentence.

The spring-armed man remained unconvinced. "I dunno, Doc, it's late and I'm tired and I—"

"But just in case," interrupted Dr. Wright, "I've placed two other assistants on inventory to help you. Isaac! Phosphora!" he called out. On cue, the lightning-wielding warrior and the Venus Adept came out from the crowd, the former looking much less enthusiastic than the latter.

"I'm not too thrilled about this either, Bouncer. Let's just get this over with," grouched Phosphora as she blew past him. Isaac could only offer an apologetic shrug.

But Spring Man, ever the optimist, simply shrugged it off. "No problemo! We'll be in and out in no time! Come on, team!"

"Yes, yes, make sure you hurry along," called Dr. Wright as the three set off. He turned back to his clipboard, then suddenly remembered something urgent. "Ah, wait! Do be careful not to—"

The trio had already left. No one was there.

"...Get lost…"

* * *

"So, how many items do ya think are in there?" asked Spring Man as he walked, hands clasped behind his head.

Isaac shrugged. "Last time I was here, there were, like… a bunch. Do they still have those little Franklin Badges?"

Phosphora nodded. "Ever since you left, they added a buncha new items into circulation. Back Shields, Killer Eyes, Ore Clubs, Fairy Bottles… oh, yeah, and they seemed really excited about adding those Special Flag things."

"I'm sorry, what?" asked the perplexed Adept. "What even _are _half of those?

Well, we're about to find out!" said Spring Man, for the group had reached the door to the inventory. He pulled out the key that Dr. Wright had given him and unlocked the door. It creaked as he pushed it open. The room was dark, nothing visible but a bit of plaster that had come loose long ago. The spring-armed man fumbled around for the light switch and turned it on.

Now that the lights were on, it became clear that the storeroom was much, much bigger than it appeared. An endless sea of crates, labeled with the names of different items, stretched out as far as all three assistants could see. The walls were pale and unpainted, making the room seem big and cramped at the same time. It was totally silent, save for the buzzing of the lights above.

Isaac, Phosphora, and Spring Man stood there in the entrance, gaping at the sight. Clearly, it was going to be a very long night.

* * *

"So what're these? Bumpers?"

The trio had come across another crate, this one filled with the round, colorful objects as found in pinball machines. Indeed, one of them had been placed on the crate, just below the label.

"How many do ya think are in here?" asked Spring Man.

Phosphora crouched down to look. "It says here that these crates have a max capacity of thirty. So there's… twelve crates in total. Adds up to three hundred bumpers in total. You gettin' that?"

Isaac, holding a clipboard, was dutifully scribbling down the information. "Didn't Dr. Wright also say that we need to check the items' condition?"

"Leave it to me!" Spring Man reached into one of the crates to pull out a bumper. He placed it on the ground, setting it in place with a click. He backed up a couple feet, then rushed at it with all his speed. Predictably, it bounced him away with a clanking sound. Not quite as predictably, Spring Man was sent careening into another set of crates, sending them all down onto his head.

Isaac winced. "Spring Man, are you okay?"

But Spring Man stood and dusted himself off as though nothing had happened. "Naw, it's okay! I've taken worse hits. But…" He looked around at his feet. Dozens of soccer balls had fallen out of the crates when they broke. "Uhh… how many are these?"

After cleaning up and counting the soccer balls, the trio continued on their way, taking stock of the Bombchus (mercifully deactivated), drills (Phosphora noted that the word "arm" had been crossed off the label), and boomerangs (no matter how Spring Man threw it, it wouldn't come back to him).

As they were busy inspecting a crate of Beetles, a glint of metal caught Isaac's eye. Carefully shoving aside a crate, he reached forward to get a hold of it.

"So, like, how do these even—" Phosphora noticed Isaac fiddling around the crate. "Isaac, what are you doing?"

"Oh. My. Gosh. Guys, check this out!" In the boy's hands, he proudly held what looked like a large rocket launcher, but with no obvious way to activate it. Its body was old and cracked, worn by the passing of time.

"...What is it?" asked Spring Man.

"It's a Cracker Launcher! From the Brawl tournament!" Seeing the confusion on their faces, Isaac continued, "It's like this launcher thing that shot out _huge_ fireworks, like _bwoosh-bweeoo_… Aww, man, what's this even _doing_ here?"

"I think they retired that thing right after Brawl," said Phosphora.

"Aww, what?" said the Venus Adept. "This was one of the best ones! Here, lemme show you."

He tried to fire it as a demonstration, but there was only a dull clicking sound as a few sparks fell out of the barrel. Only the blue lights around the barrel glowed faintly. "Doesn't work anymore," Isaac mumbled. He sighed, gazing into the distance. "Man, those were the days…"

"Really?" asked Spring Man with genuine interest.

"Oh, yeah!" nodded Isaac. "Back in those days, us Assist Trophies, we couldn't get hurt in battles, so we were free to attack as much as we wanted! Of course, we only really had one or two attacks…"

"Oh, yeah?" asked Spring Man. At this point even the previously apathetic Phosphora was listening.

"Yeah!" said Isaac, smiling widely. "Actually, that reminds me of this one time…"

And so, Isaac regaled the two with stories of battles past, tales of triumph and defeat, and anecdotes of antics in their downtime. As the trio reached the Home-Run Bats. Isaac had just wrapped up a story involving Samurai Goroh on kitchen duty.

"And we couldn't get rid of the smell, no matter how much we scrubbed!" finished Isaac as Spring Man laughed. "Jill couldn't even _look_ at a mangosteen for weeks after!" He paused for a bit. "I wonder how she's doing…"

"O-oh yeah, Jill." said Phosphora. "She's one of the ones that didn't make it to the next tournament, right?"

Isaac nodded. "I don't think she even got invited to this one. I know Resetti resigned, something about his health." He brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Ummm… that reminds me. I've been meaning to ask you guys something…"

"Uh-huh."

"It's kind of a dumb question, though…"

"It can't be _that_ dumb," said the spring-armed man cheerfully. "Just ask!"

"...Okay. Here goes." Isaac took a deep breath. "How do people in your world stay on the ground?"

"...Come again?" asked Phosphora.

"The people. How do they not fall off?"

There was a long silence. "What," said Spring Man and Phosphora in unison.

"Look, your worlds are round, apparently," said Isaac. "So, like, how do the people on the bottom of the planet not fall off?"

Spring Man and Phosphora stared at the boy. Neither of them knew how to respond. Then Phosphora erupted into raucous laughter. "Y-y-you're _serious?!_" she gasped.

"Y-yeah, like, Weyard is flat…"

Phosphora continued to laugh. "_Ahahahaha! _Oh, gods, he's a flat-earther!" It was the first time she'd felt entertained all night. "It's _gravity_, ya dingus!"

"I mean, I _knew_ that," said Isaac defensively, "but I wasn't sure if it… if it worked on the other side…" He looked to Spring Man for defense, but to his dismay, the spring-armed man was laughing as well. "Spring Man?! Come _on!_"

"I'm sorry, man," said Spring Man, wiping a tear from his eye, "but that's the funniest thing I've heard all week! How does it work on the other side…" he chuckled.

"All right, all right, I get it," said Isaac. At this point, even he was trying not to laugh. "Let's… let's just get this over with."

So the trio continued their inventory duties, taking stock of everything from Gooey Bombs to Hocotate Bombs, from Healing Fields to Healing Sprouts, from Super Mushrooms to Super Scopes to Superspicy Curry, and everything in between.

"Ugh, _finally_," said Phosphora, checking off the Rage Blasters on her clipboard. "Are we done? I think we're done." A small wave of relief and celebration swept over the trio, with high-fives and fist bumps going around.

"Alright, it's been a long night," began Spring Man, "and lemme tell ya, it is a furnace in here. So let's make like a banana and _split!_" He stretched out his arm and pointed at the exit to punctuate his declaration.

"...Uh, Spring Man, where are you pointing?" asked Isaac.

"What? Oh, I'm pointing right there, at the—at the exit…"

But to Spring Man's surprise, and subsequent panic, he was not pointing at the exit. He was simply pointing down a long hallway that seemed to go on forever. His springy arm dropped to the floor. "Oh… oh, no."

"What? What is it?!" asked Phosphora, although she already knew the answer. Spring Man turned to them, his face grave.

"We're totally lost."

* * *

_Bouncer's Log, Day 16._

_How we've survived for this long, I do not know. Perhaps fate has smiled on us. But now our food supply is low. I haven't smelled pizza in months. Does anyone even know we're down here? I can only hope that—_

"Spring Man, what are you doing?"

Spring Man looked at Isaac. "Oh, I was just doing one of those apocalyptic logs. You know, to suit the atmosphere!"

"But we've only been down here for… wait, how long _have_ we been down here?!"

"Speaking of atmosphere," cut in Phosphora, "this place is so stuffy! Don't they have a fan down here?"

"You can say that again," replied Isaac, tugging at his scarf. "Man, I wish Ivan was here…"

"Aw, don't worry, guys! We just gotta, um…" He stared at the multitude of crates that lay before him. How big _was_ this place, anyways? "We just gotta… go this way." He started walking to his left.

And so, the three assistants walked, meandering between the walls of crates, trying to find the exit. The pale walls with their chipped paint felt like they were pressing in on the trio, and the buzzing sound of the lights above drilled itself into their heads. And all the while, the musty air hung around in a stale miasma.

The trio was not in the highest of spirits, to say the least.

Suddenly, Phosphora abruptly stopped. She turned to peer at a crate on her right. "What… what does this say, Isaac?"

Isaac looked at the crate. "Uhhh… POW Blocks. Why do you ask?"

"Okay, something's not right here," said Phosphora, panic edging into her voice. "I'm like ninety percent sure we've passed that box three times already. I'm telling you, something's _wrong_ here!"

"Calm down, Phosphora," said Isaac, keeping his own voice as steady as he could. "I'm pretty sure the POW Blocks were next to the Pitfall seeds over here." He tapped the crate he was leaning against.

"Uh, Isaac?" said Spring Man. "Those are Ray Guns."

"Hmmm?" Sure enough, the crate was labeled "Ray Guns" in big red stencil letters. "Huh," said the Venus Adept with a shrug. "Look at that. Ray Guns. Yeah, never mind, we're screwed."

"Okay, guys, don't panic," said Spring Man as Phosphora threw her hands up. "Look, I know things look bad, but we can still find a way out of this! We can—"

"_boing?_"

All eyes turned to the source of the sudden inquiry. A small creature with a big nose, whiskers, and a single hair with a red bow had waddled onto the scene without warning. It stared up at the trio with beady, inquisitive eyes. "_hi ho,_" it spoke in an odd voice.

Spring Man was the first to react. "What the heck," he said.

"...A Mr. Saturn?" said Isaac, scratching his head. "What's it doing here?"

"_i live down here_," squeaked the little creature. "_big maze to explore._"

"You… _live_ down here?" asked Phosphora.

Mr. Saturn nodded. "_ran away from purple dragon, ding. came here to put down roots_."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Isaac. "You ran away to come here? ...How long ago was this, exactly?"

Mr. Saturn thought for a bit. "_today is what day?_" it asked.

"It's Tuesday."

"_hmmm…_" Mr. Saturn drew circles on the ground with a tiny foot. "_i came here looooong time ago!_" it declared.

Isaac opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again. Phosphora and Spring Man, meanwhile, were still staring at the creature with bewildered expressions on their faces. "Do you… know a way outta here?" asked Phosphora.

Mr. Saturn nodded, much more vigorously. "_this place big, big. but i know everywhere here. follow saturn!_" It waddled away, towards the crate of Beastballs.

Spring Man stared at the little creature. "Are you sure we should be following that… thing?"

Phosphora shrugged. "Anything to get us out of this hellhole. Plus, that Jeff guy told me that his species are supposed to be super smart." She glanced at Mr. Saturn, who was lying on its back, staring at the ceiling. "I hope he wasn't pranking me."

It was certainly an odd sight, three assistants, each powerful in their own right, being led by a waddling head. Mr. Saturn led the trio through the labyrinth of crates, turning left and right at seemingly random intervals. They walked past Green Shells, Spiny Shells, and even the retired Red Shells. They marched between crates filled with Smoke Balls, Poké Balls, and Party Balls. The smell of gunpowder coming from the boxes of explosive items wafted through the stale air.

Suddenly, Mr. Saturn stopped, nearly making Isaac trip over it. "_we here, ding,_" it squeaked. Sure enough, there was the door, as plain and wooden as they'd left it some time ago. Spring Man could've sworn it was glowing.

"Oh my gods, we're finally out," gasped Phosphora as she staggered out of the storeroom, Isaac and Spring Man stumbling out behind her. At long last, fresh air and sweet freedom!

Isaac turned around to face Mr. Saturn, "Oh, man, you're a lifesaver, Mr. Saturn! I… I'd shake your hand, but, uh…"

Mr. Saturn took the boy's hand in its foot to shake. "_it okay. you aaaaall fixed now. zoom!_" It waved goodbye as the assistants left the storeroom. "_come back anytime, ding!_" it called out after them.

"Man, am I glad that we're finally outta there," said Spring Man, hands clasped behind his head. Isaac and Phosphora nodded in agreement. The three of them walked past the rooms of still-sleeping Smashers.

"You know, I'm… I'm feelin' a real connection with the three of us right now. Like that whole thing we just went through, I felt a real… a real spiritual connection, ya know?"

Isaac and Phosphora glanced at each other, then back to Spring Man. "I mean… kindaaaaa?" said Phosphora tentatively.

"I guess?" shrugged Isaac. Neither of them quite knew how to respond. There was a long silence.

"...So, do you wanna hang out?" asked Spring Man.

Both of them nodded. "Oh, yeah, totally."

"Ah! There you are! I got worried when you didn't show up!"

There was Dr. Wright, running towards them, looking as though he hadn't slept in quite a while. "Oh my stars, don't tell me you got lost in there…!"

"Ehhhh, we got a little lost," said Phosphora, "but we got out okay."

"R-really?" Dr. Wright blinked. "Oh. Well, in that case…" He took the clipboard from Spring Man. "Hmm. Yes. Good job, you three. I may keep you in mind for next time."

"Oh, no, no, Doc," said Spring Man, "you don't have to…"

"Come now, Spring Man," chuckled Dr. Wright, "Don't be so modest—"

"No, seriously, you _don't_ have to."

"At any rate," continued the green-haired man, "you three had better rest up. We've got a full day ahead of us, so…"

Isaac yawned. "Man, you're right. I cannot wait to get a good night's sleep so I—"

Dr. Wright looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "Night?" he asked. "What do you mean? It's almost seven in the morning."

All three assistants turned to stare at the doctor, mouths agape in identical expressions of shock. "I'm sorry, _what?_" asked Spring Man. "Y-y-you said _seven?!_"

"Yes." Sure enough, the digital clock on the wall read 6:48, and the sun was peeking its rays through the window.

"Wh—huh—but I—_how?!_" The three of them were at a loss. Surely, they couldn't have been stuck in the storeroom for _that_ long?!

"Yes, yes, it's an unfortunate enchantment on the storeroom. Blame the organizers for not bothering to fix it," said Wright. He gazed sympathetically at the assistants that stood before him, looking fatigued and worn out as they were. "I… I suppose you can take the day off. But just this once, mind you."

Spring Man looked at Dr. Wright as though he'd just told them Christmas was coming early. "R-_really?_ You mean it?!"

"Yes, I'm positive," replied Dr. Wright. "I'm sure I can get some of the other assistants to fill in for you. Now hurry along, get some rest, you three."

There was a general chorus of "thank you"s and relieved sighs as the assistants went their separate ways to catch up on the precious, precious sleep they'd missed. Dr. Wright watched them go, then turned back to his clipboard with a nod.

"Note: ask Crazy Hand to remove that maze enchantment on item storage. April Fool's was months ago."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: oh my gosh banjo's in smash now.**_

_**I know it's been a month but wow.**_


	4. Ashley Makes a Friend?

The sun rose on the Smash Mansion, bathing the sky in pink and blue. All across the grounds, Smashers, Assist Trophies, and Pokémon alike were waking up to a beautiful morning. Baito, who could always be counted on to be one of the first awake, was sitting in the main lounge idly stirring a cup of coffee. He looked out the window at the sun peeking over the mountains, gently kissing the landscape with its light. The rabbit smiled as the room was bathed in the rosy glow of the dawn. He knew deep within himself that today was going to be a good day.

Meanwhile, in a completely different room, a young girl with long dark hair was lying face-down in her bed, lightly snoring as the sun's rays shone through her window and lit up the room.

The moment the light caressed the curtains, they magically drew themselves shut, sending the bedroom into darkness once again. The girl snoozed on.

At the foot of the girl's bed, a wooden scepter with a bright red orb at the head stirred. It wobbled and trembled when the light touched it. The moment the curtains closed, it stopped for a moment, then fell to the floor. Then there was a burst of red smoke, and in the scepter's place stood a little red imp wielding a trident. He rubbed his eyes and stretched.

"Good morning, starshine!" he said to no one in particular. "The sun says hello!" He blinked, looking around at the dark room. "Whoa. Or maybe the sun's givin' us the cold shoulder today…" The imp looked at the window, still covered by the curtains. "Oh, well, _there's_ the problem!" He flew up to the window and drew them open, letting the morning light flood the bedroom.

"Honestly, Ashley, I don't get why you gotta close the blinds so early. Sunlight's good for you, you know. I know all our spellbooks say that potions are best brewed by the light of the moon, but I read that the light of the sun can do wonders for your skin and improve your mood! And," he added under his breath, "goodness knows that your mood could use improving…"

Ashley was silent, for she was still fast asleep.

"...And the stuff in the sun's rays helps you produce vitamin D, so it's bound to—h-_hey!_ You're still sleeping?!" The imp bounced over to Ashley's bedside and poked her with his trident's pommel. "Ashley, wake up."

There was no answer. Ashley turned over in her sleep.

"Rise and shine, Ashley!"

Still nothing.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!"

At last, the witch stirred. She slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Red, what time is it?" she asked.

"It's sunrise!" replied Red. It was very clear which of the duo was a morning person. "It's a beautiful day to do whatever we want! Or at least until someone summons us!" He pointed his trident at the window. The sun was a bit higher now, the clouds lit up with gold. "Ahhh, look at it, Ashley!" sighed Red, floating over to the windowsill and resting his head in his hands. "Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it just… _inspire_ you?"

"Not really, no," came Ashley's flat response.

"I—um—well." Red faltered. "Well, at any rate, you're awake, so it's time to get up and meet everyone for breakfast! I hear it's banana pancakes today!"

"...Okay."

After getting dressed, the duo walked into the main lounge, where Baito was sitting with his mug of coffee. Beside him, an armadillo with a turquoise bandana and a leather jacket sat leaning back into his chair, feet propped up on the table.

"Good morning, Ashley! And Red, too!" chirped Baito, raising his mug. The armadillo said nothing, but simply tipped his hat in greeting.

"Hey, everyone!" waved Red excitedly. He nudged Ashley, who simply waved her hand in response. "So, what's on the schedule today?"

"Aw, you know, same ol', same ol'," shrugged Baito. "Little Mac is up against Incineroar later. From what I've heard, they're really hyping up this one!"

"Is that so?" replied Red. "Looks like we'll have to get front-row tickets, eh, Ashley?"

"…Whatever," said Ashley, idly picking at her pancake.

"Ah, don't mind Ashley," said Red to Baito and the armadillo. "She's not really much of a morning person…"

As the morning went on, the other Assist Trophies began to wake up and have their own breakfast. With the end of breakfast came Dr. Wright's morning meeting, and when that ended, most of them wandered off to do whatever they liked, whether it was training in the dojo, tending to the Pokémon at the Day Care, or simply wandering around to take in the fresh air.

In Ashley's case, she retreated back to her dark room, closed the door behind her, and magically drew the shades closed.

"So, Ashley, what're we gonna do today?" asked Red.

In response, Ashley took out a massive cauldron from under her bed. "I'm working on a potion… a potion that boosts adrenaline… It'll make the matches more interesting."

Red nodded. "Ah, an enhancement potion! That sounds fun!" He dove under the bed to fetch a small wooden box, its polish worn by time. "So, what'll we throw in the pot today?"

"Hand me those jellyfish tentacles. Mind the sting."

"Aye-aye, captain!" Red dove into the box to carefully pull out the parts. He handed them to Ashley, who casually tossed them into the pot. She thumbed through her spellbook. "One pint of crocodile tears."

Red poured out the bottle. "K. Rool sure was upset when we put all those caltrops in his room…"

"Butterfly wings."

These, too, were swept off the cutting board and into the cauldron.

"A spoonful of fly honey."

Red watched as the pungent mixture dripped into the cauldron. "I'm not even gonna ask what kinda flies they got over there…" he shuddered.

Ashley began to stir the pot. The liquid inside glowed a faint pink. "... It's almost done," she muttered, tossing in a leek. She stirred and stirred as the potion turned from pink to magenta. "It still needs the Razorshroom."

"No problem-o!" chirped Red, diving back into the box. He resurfaced a short time later, holding a set of russet-colored mushrooms, each with a noticeable slice in their caps. "Do you want them sliced or whole?"

"Whole. They'll lose their potency if you slice them."

"If you say so." He scraped the mushrooms off the cutting board and into the pot.

The very moment the mushrooms fell into the mixture, a cloud of foul-smelling smoke burst from the cauldron, briefly lighting up the dark room. When the smoke cleared, the potion was a deep crimson color.

"Alrighty!" cheered Red. "Let's test it!" But Ashley stopped him before he could dip a spoon into the pot.

"Hold on. There's still another step." She took out an old-looked scroll and pointed at the bottom. "It says to let it sit for 6 hours."

"Six hours?!" cried Red. "Well, what're we gonna do for that time?"

Ashley shrugged. "Dunno," she said simply. She placed a lid on top of the cauldron and flopped down on her bed, paging through her spellbook.

"I—okay." Red sat down on the floor. He glanced over at the window and sighed. "Hey, can we open the shades, y'know, let some light in here?" he asked.

"No."

"Why not?!" Red flopped over to face the ceiling. "Don't tell me we're just gonna sit here all day!"

"Maybe."

"Aw, _c'mon!_" This time, Red hopped up on the bed next to Ashley. "We're just gonna sit here and wait for the potion to be done?!"

Ashley closed her spellbook and sighed. "What would you have me do, Red?"

"Well, we can start by letting some light in here," huffed the imp, marching towards the window and throwing the curtains open. He turned back to Ashley. "Now, let's go outside!"

Ashley now sat up to look at Red. "Red, what would I even _do_ outside?"

The imp snorted in faux-derision. "Lacking in imagination, are we? Not a problem!" With a snap of his fingers, a small bingo cage materialized in front of him. "We'll leave our day up to the hands of fate!"

He turned the crank, rattling the balls inside as Ashley watched, thoroughly unimpressed by the spectacle. Eventually, a ball rolled out of the cage and into Red's hand. He snapped his fingers again, and the ball turned into an envelope. Red opened the envelope and read from the paper inside. He looked at Ashley, fanged grin creeping up his face. "Well, whaddya know! It says here today we get to _make a new friend!_"

Ashley rolled her eyes. "_Uggghh…_"

"Aw, come on, Ashley! It'll be fun!" Red spread his arms above himself. "Think of all the people we've got here in one place! It'll be good for you to reach out to others! Broaden your horizons! As much as I love the smell of brewing potions and casting spells, it's nice to not be hunched over a cauldron all day."

"But I already _have_ a friend, and that's you," retorted Ashley. "I don't _need_ another one."

"C'mon, Ashley," said Red, fixing the witch with a look that was both playfully knowing and genuinely concerned. "You and I both know you get lonely sometimes."

Ashley snapped her head up to glare at Red. "I do _not_—" She paused for a moment. "I don't… I'm not lonely…" she mumbled.

Red simply raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, Ashley, give it a try," he said in a much gentler tone. "There's bound to be someone here who'll be your friend."

Ashley sat there, staring at her shoes. At last, she sighed. "Fine. I'll try."

Red smiled warmly. "That's the spirit!" He took the girl's hand and led her out of her room, out of the main lounge and into the hallway. "It's great to socialize," declared the imp. "Trust me, Ashley, you'll find a new friend yet!"

* * *

The two of them walked down the halls, Red leading with plenty of pep in his step, and Ashley following, decidedly less excited.

"Do I _have_ to?" asked Ashley, trudging along behind the imp.

"It'll be _fun_!" replied Red. "This is the second tournament we've been in, and we still don't have a single close friend besides Wario! It'll be good for you to meet someone that you can get along with. Now, come on! We're going to the courtyard."

Many fighters and Assist Trophies alike were in the courtyard that day, most of them simply sitting around and enjoying the day. Red scanned over the area. "Hmmm… ooh! What about Waluigi?" he said, pointing at the purple-clad man. "You guys both have a mutual friend with Wario! I'd bet you'd get along great!"

Ashley pulled a face. "No," she said. "He's a loser."

Red faltered. "He—er—ah… okay, Wally's kind of a loser, yeah." The two of them continued to walk. "Or what about Kirby?" he said, pointing at the puffball who was busy climbing an apple tree. "He's _everyone's_ friend!"

"Not _my_ friend," mumbled Ashley.

"Not yet, anyways," continued Red, giving the girl a nudge. "Go on and talk to him!"

"No."

"Wha—_why not?!_" cried an incredulous Red.

"He's too…" Ashley searched for the right word. "...Cutesy."

Red's shoulders slumped. "And what's wrong with cutesy?"

Ashley sighed. "Remember that time we went inside that awful book world of lollipops and ice cream?"

"Yeah, I remember that," said Red, smiling dreamily as he recalled. "Gosh, I wish we could go back…" His daydreaming was quickly interrupted by Ashley glaring down at him. He swallowed. "Or, y'know, maybe… maybe not… W-what about it?"

"That's what Kirby reminds me of. A happy world of sunshine and candy," she gagged.

"Hmmm…" Red pondered for a moment. "So what you're saying is, you'd prefer to talk to someone a little less sugary-sweet?"

"Pretty much what I said, yeah," came the witch's reply.

"Someone a little more… demonic?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "Do you know anyone like that?"

"Do I ever!"

* * *

Red led Ashley back into the mansion, past rows and rows of doors until finally stopping in front of one. "Now, normally, I'd take you to see the Nightmare Wizard, but I haven't seen him around recently. Come to think of it, where _has_ he been…? But at any rate, if you're looking for demons, this is your guy!"

Ashley stared at the door. There were words engraved on it, in elegant, fancy-looking lettering. "Demon Lord Ghirahim," she read out loud. "I feel like I've heard that name before."

"But of course!" nodded Red. "He showed up around the same time we did! And I'm pretty sure some people were asking for him to be a real fighter!" He knocked on the door, like a properly raised demon. "Ghirahim, he's… kinda creepy and a little full of himself, but y'know, I feel like this can work out! In fact—ah, here he comes now!"

The door creaked open, revealing a tall, thin, and menacing figure wearing a red cloak. His skin, patterned as though he was wearing a skintight suit, was almost as pale as his hair. His eyes were cold and sunken as he looked at the duo. "What business have you with the great Lord Ghirahim?"

"Uhhhhh… Hiya, Ghirahim!" chirped Red. "How it's been?"

Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at the imp, who faltered with his smile. "Okay, okay," continued Red, as if Ghirahim had answered. "The, uh… the other Assist Trophies treatin' ya right?"

"Are you here to ask for a favor, or do you simply wish to waste my time?" asked Ghirahim. Red flinched and hid behind Ashley, who was decidedly not intimidated. Ghirahim scowled at her. "Why did you drag this… infant into my presence?"

Ashley glared at him while Red tried to explain. "Oh, this is Ashley! I'm her familiar spirit!"

"Familiar spirit…?" repeated Ghirahim. "You would willingly serve a human? For what purpose?"

"Um…" Red was taken aback. "I mean, I don't really have any ulterior purpose, if that's what you're asking… I just help her out because, y'know, we're friends!"

The demon lord sneered. "_Friends?_ You would be friends with this little… _nothing?_"

At this, both witch and imp stood up. "Who are you calling nothing?" growled Ashley.

Ghirahim scoffed. "Oh dear, it seems I've gotten over the human's skin." He briefly glanced back inside his room. "As much as I'd like to stay and… _chat,_" he snorted, "I have work to do. If you have any sense of self-preservation, _don't bother me._" And with that thinly veiled threat, Ghirahim rudely slammed the door in their faces.

Ashley huffed, with Red mirroring her off to the side. "What's _his_ problem?!" growled the imp. "Well, _fine!_ We don't need him anyways! We'll find someone _way_ more cool and demonic than he is! Right, Ashley?"

No response came.

"Ashley?" Red turned around to find that Ashley was stomping away. "Daaah—hey, wait up!" He fluttered his wings as fast as he could to keep up with the witch. "Ashley, where ya going?"

"Back to the cauldron," growled Ashley. "I'm tired of this friendship stuff."

"Aww, c'mon!" Red thought for a bit. "I'll admit, that went a lot worse than I thought it would. Okay, if not someone demonic and evil, then how about someone nice and… _angelic?_"

Ashley pulled a face. "Oh, gross."

"Now, now hear me out!" said Red. "It'd work well! You, a witch that likes dark spells and hexes, pallin' around with someone that… is the exact opposite of that! It'd be perfect, it could… it could broaden our horizons! Now let's—_d'oof!_"

In his exuberance, the imp had bumped into Pit, who had been walking down the same hallway. Both parties were sprawled out on the floor, save for Ashley, who stared at them, unamused.

"Ungh… oh, hey, Pit—_Pit!_ What a coinky-dink!" Red tugged at Ashley's sleeve. "See, look! This guy's a literal angel!" he whispered. He turned back to face Pit. "So, Pit! What've you been up to recently?"

The angel stared blankly at Red. "Um… walking."

Red turned back to Ashley and winked in an exaggerated manner. Ashley rolled her eyes. "Walking, eh?" replied Red, nodding sagely. "Sounds good, sounds good. ...So, uh… you remember us, right?"

Pit blinked. "Um… kiiind of…?" He glanced at Ashley. "You're one of the Villagers, right?"

Red faltered a bit, while Ashley glared at the angel as thought all his hair had fallen out. "N-no." said Red.

"Hmmm… Oh! Then your name is Futaba, right? A-and _you,_" he continued, pointing at the imp, "must be Necronomicon!"

Ashley's left eye twitched. Red sighed. "No, Pit."

"Ummm…" The angel shrugged. "I got nothing."

"Oh, come _on!_" exclaimed Red. "She was an Assist Trophy in the last tournament!"

Realization spread over Pit's face. "_Oooohh._ Well, why didn't you just say so? I think I remember you now!"

"Finally," muttered Red. "So now that we've gotten that across, we were wondering—"

"It's nice to finally meet you, Midna!"

_Zap!_

There was a flash of purple light and the air filled with raw, acrid-smelling smoke. Ashley coughed and cleared the air in front of her as she surveyed her handiwork. She'd done her part. Pit was gone, yes, but only in body, not in spirit. In his place was a large, yet delicious-smelling eggplant, with Pit's two legs sticking out the bottom. Ashley's wand wobbled as it transformed.

"Okay, that coulda gone a _lot_ better," remarked a coughing Red. He stared at the former angel. "Wha—_an eggplant?!_"

Eggplant-Pit screamed loudly, terrified by Ashley's hex. Or at least, he would have, if eggplants could do so. But mercifully for farmers, eggplants do not scream, and so Pit was forced to hop up and down and stomp his feet in a panic. Ashley and Red stared blankly at the sight.

"Ashley…" sighed Red, pinching the bridge of his non-existent nose. "That's… that's not how you make friends."

"I don't care." replied Ashley plainly.

"Are you gonna fix him?" Eggplant-Pit was running around in circles.

"No."

"Fair enough."

And so, the duo left Pit to wallow in the agony of being an eggplant forever.

Or until Palutena could find him.

* * *

"So, what now?"

"We go back and check on my potion."

"Seriously?"

Ashley and Red were strolling down the halls again, after the fiasco with Pit. The hallway was nearly empty, and the distant sounds of a match could be heard in the distance. "So, uh… where'd you even learn that eggplant spell?" asked Red.

"Read it in a book," said Ashley impassively.

"Ah." Red paused. "...Why eggplants, though?"

Ashley stared at nothing in particular. "They're just funny."

"Fuh… funny?"

"Funny," Ashley repeated.

Red took a deep breath. "Okay, Ashley, listen. We're trying to make friends, yeah? But… the way you're going about it is all wrong! I mean, what you did to Pit back there… He coulda been a great friend! I mean, sure, he didn't know who you were despite the fact we've been here two tournaments, now… And _sure,_ we have a whole song about you that was introduced when he got here he no doubt should've heard many times already… And sure, he's the complete opposite of our entire theming… And _sure,_ he's about as dumb as a sack of wet rocks! No one's arguing _that!_ But he—"

Red paused, as he processed what he had just said. "Maybe this wasn't the best idea…" he mumbled. "But anyways, I—_hey!_ Ashley, are you listening to me?!"

Ashley was not, in fact, listening to Red. She had stopped dead in her tracks, staring to her left as though her life depended on it.

Red floated over to the witch. "Hey! Earth to Ashley?" He waved his hand in front of her face, but she did not blink. "Anybody home? What're you even star—staring at…"

The imp had followed her gaze, and now realized what she was staring at. A steel door, with a skull and crossbones painted on it, and the words "Keep Out!" just below in bold red letters. To add to this gruesome sight was a symbol below the words, a symbol that looked remarkably like a dragon's head.

"Oof," said Red, shaking his head. "That sure does look dangero—" He stopped as he noticed the look on Ashley's face. Her eyes twinkled, and her mouth was slightly open as she gazed at the door. Red, who had known Ashley for most of his life, was quick to put two and two together.

"Ashley, no," he whispered.

Slowly, as if controlled by an unseen force, Ashley drifted towards the door, and pushed it open. There was a long, spiraling staircase leading down, down, down, seemingly to nowhere.

"A-Ashley," stammered Red, as he tugged at her sleeve, "I _really_ don't think this is a good idea. I-I mean, those warnings have gotta be there for a reason!"

But Ashley paid him no mind, stepping carefully down the stone steps, plunging into the inky darkness. At the bottom of the steps, there was a wooden door, painted with the same dragon head symbol. Ashley wasn't sure, but she thought she could see burn marks at the edges of the door. Despite Red's silent pleading, she slowly pushed open the door.

To their surprise, it was not a dark, foul-smelling dungeon that greeted the duo, but a wide open field of yellow grass. Clouds drifted by lazily above their heads. In the distance, the peaks of mountains could be seen. It was as if the door had led to another world.

Especially considered the large red wyvern standing in the middle of the field.

"Wh-wh-_what is that?!_" asked Red, diving behind Ashley for protection. Ashley, on the other hand, was less than impressed. She glanced at a sign that was sticking out of the grass.

_This is a Rathalos, the apex predator of the Ancestral Steppe. It is very dangerous, with terrible fire breath and poisonous claws._

_If you know what's good for you, leave immediately! Unless, of course, you want a closed-casket funeral._

_Hugs n' kisses,_

_Crazy Hand_

The Rathalos snorted as it surveyed Ashley. Red peeked out from behind her and read the sign. As he did so, his face paled and his ears drooped. "F-fire breath? P-p-p-poison claws?! Ashley, I don't think we should be here! We gotta get outta here _now!_"

"But why?" asked Ashley, still starting at the beast.

"W-_why?!_" repeated an incredulous Red. "Did you not read the sign?! Fire breath! Poisonous claws! Three of those four words are deadly! A-and just _look_ at it! It's probably thinking about how to best prepare us for dinner right now!"

If the Rathalos was thinking of eating Red, it didn't show it. It growled softly as Ashley approached it. "So it's just been down here, by itself?"

"Uh, yeah, obviously," replied Red. "Because it's _dangerous_."

Ashley reached up to pet the creature's snout, a move it surprisingly accepted. "But it looks so lonely…"

Red looked as though he might pass out. "Ohhh, no, you don't! We are _not_ making friends with _this_ guy! Come on, we're leaving!"

Ashley stayed put, staring right into the wyvern's eyes.

"Ashley, come _on!_"

Ashley did not move.

"...A-Ashley?"

With a snap of her fingers, she transformed Red into her scepter, which floated into her hand. She raised it above her head, twirling it as the orb began to glow. Her hair turned white, and her eyes glowed a brilliant shade of crimson.

There was a flash of light, and both witch and wyvern disappeared.

* * *

Bomberman sat in his room, reading a graphic novel he'd been meaning to catch up on: _Toad Force V: The Notorious Fungus._ He was about to get to the climactic battle between the protagonist, Jack, and the villain who had long been in the shadows for at least three story arcs now! Just as he turned the page…

_Boom!_

The robot fell out of his chair as the room shook. His heart was pounding both from fear and from excitement. What kind of bomb could have made such a beautiful sound? It would have to be a magnificent explosive to create such a blast! Bomberman opened his window in search of this majestic dream bomb, but what he saw shocked him to his core.

To his disappointment, it was not a bomb that had made that sound, but a large red wyvern hovering above the grounds. It roared as it swooped down, ripping trees right out of the ground. And unless Bomberman was mistaken, he could've sworn he saw something sitting on its head…

"Ashleeeeey!" cried Red, hanging on for dear life. "This was—this is a _bad idea!_"

"What do you mean?" asked Ashley, as if she wasn't currently riding a deadly beast. "I made a friend today, just like you said!"

"Not like this!" shrieked the imp. "_Not like this!_"

Ashley patted a scale behind its head. The Rathalos roared and launched a fireball at the ground. Wood splintered, stone shattered, and someone Ashley almost recognized screamed.

For a brief moment, the smell of cooked eggplant filled the air.

Ashley knew that the Rathalos' freedom would not last. In a few minutes, Master Hand and some other Smashers would come out and bring it back to where it belonged. And knowing Master Hand's love of order, she'd probably get punished for this. But was it truly worth it?

She stroked a scale right between the beast's horns. Above the din below and Red's frantic pleading next to her, she could hear it purr.

…

…Yes, it was worth it.

For the first time that day, Ashley smiled.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: Ashley and Red are really fun to write!**_

_**Hey, I'm still taking suggestions if you have 'em!**_


	5. The Ambitions of Mother Brain

Night had fallen on the Smash grounds. As the stars began to dot the night sky, all the participants of the Smash Brothers tournament began to call it a day. Within a couple of hours, the Smash Mansion hummed with the sound of dozing fighters. Not a single living creature was stirring.

Or so they thought.

Luigi was waddling towards the kitchen for a midnight snack (strawberry delight, a personal favorite of his). In his journey, he had wandered into one of the more disused and ominous corners of the mansion. The green man couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by his surroundings. This hallway looked so old and decrepit, and the floor creaked with his every step. "Ohhh, mamma mia…" came his wavering voice. He began to sorely wish he'd brought his flashlight with him. Just as he was about to decide that his dessert was wasn't worth all this trouble, something caught his attention. An old, wooden door hung open, and a strange purple glow was emanating from within.

In all other cases, Luigi would have simply turned right around and marched back up to his room to get some sleep. But something about this door was strangely… enchanting. Hesitantly, Luigi reached towards the door. Was that humming he could hear from the other side? His trembling hands gripped the doorknob. Luigi was so entranced by what could be inside that he almost didn't notice the shadow that fell over him.

Luckily for him, he did.

Slowly, Luigi turned around to face what was behind him. His eyes widened as he beheld what he saw. He seemed a bit bigger than Luigi's last encounter with him, but there was no mistaking the imposing figure of the king of the Boos.

Luigi barely stifled a scream as he fell on his bottom and tried to back away. But as he did so, he felt a sickening cold on his back. Once again, Luigi slowly turned around to meet his newest assailant.

A tall, imposing, and all-too-familiar figure wielding a scythe, with black robes draping behind it, stood in front of Luigi. Its blue flaming eyes glared down at the plumber. In a deep, chilling voice, it hissed, "_The candlelight of your soul shall be snuffed out tonight._"

Luigi didn't give the specter time to raise its scythe. He screamed and fled the scene, pushing past King Boo and running as fast as his legs could carry him.

The two phantoms simply stood there, watching the plumber run away. Then, slowly, they flickered and began to fade, melting into thin air.

"_Hnn hnn hnn hnn…_"

An orb as dark as the night sky and dotted with pale yellow stars slowly rose from the floor. It pulsed and convulsed until it burst, revealing a gaunt-looking creature with spindly hands, a tornado-like core, and a ghastly grinning face.

"_Perhaps that will teach you to pry, mortal._"

And with that, the Nightmare Wizard drifted into the room, closing the door behind him.

It was a plain room, simply decorated with a long table and lamps lit with purple light bulbs in each corner of the room. Seated at the table was Ghirahim, looking lithe and cruel as usual. Across the table from him was a corpulent, winged blue demon with blank red eyes and horns that had dulled over the years. Next to the demon was a middle-aged man with balding gray hair, looking very uncomfortable between the two demons. And at the far side of the table, sitting in a glass case, was a gigantic brain with sharp metal barbs jutting out from the cerebrum. A single, staring eye gazed out from under the cerebral hemispheres.

"You're late, you know," smirked Ghirahim. "You know how Mother likes being on time."

"_Yes, a thousand apologies,_" came the voice of Nightmare. "_I had to make sure no one was spying on us._"

The brain stared at Nightmare. "Very well," she intoned. "I expect you to be on time for our next meeting." When Nightmare sat down, she turned to face the rest of the group. "I suppose you are wondering why I have gathered you here tonight."

"Not particularly, no," said Ghirahim, resting his head in his hand.

Mother Brain glared at the demon. "I have called you forth to propose an… alliance."

The balding man and the blue demon seemed surprised, while Ghirahim simply arched an eyebrow. "Think of it. The four of you, led by me, the true successor of the Chozo and their greatest creation," she continued. "I have already convinced Nightmare to our side. Think of the possibilities…!"

The blue demon spoke first. "Do you mean to say that if I should join you, I would regain control of Devil World?"

"Devil World, and so much more," hissed Mother Brain. "Everything you wish, beyond your wildest dreams."

The Devil's eyes widened. Images of an underworld under his command flashed before his eyes, and his ears twitched at the sound of wailing souls. And his greatest triumph, that irksome dragon in the deepest, darkest, most hopeless pits of his realm…! A wicked smirk crept up his face. "Very well, O creature of flesh and steel," he intoned. "I shall assist you on your endeavors."

"Excellent," said Mother Brain, grinning as only a giant brain monster could grin. She turned to Ghirahim. "And you, demon lord. Would you join my side, the side of true power?"

Ghirahim simply sipped from a teacup that he had on his person for some reason. "Well, let's see," he hummed, tapping his chin. "It _would_ get me out of that dingy old lounge room… And more opportunities for me to whet a certain… _appetite_…" He licked his lips, clearly savoring his thoughts. "I suppose I can lend my assistance to your cause," he drawled at last.

"Well, _I,_ for one, will have to pass," huffed the middle-aged man sitting across from Ghirahim. "I've had too many bad experiences with alien supercomputers, thank you very much!"

Mother Brain scoffed. "Hmmm! I expected such a simple creature would reject such an offer out of hand. Would you truly give up a chance at glory, Wily?"

The mad doctor looked quite irritated. "S-_simple?!_" Off to the side, Ghirahim snickered. "I am Doctor Albert Wily! The world's greatest scientist! I'm a _genius!_"

Mother Brain leered down at Wily, clearly unimpressed. "And yet, you are brought to your knees time and time again. By a _child,_ no less."

"Grk—!" This time, Ghirahim burst into full guffawing, with Devil following suit. Wily grit his teeth. "Why can't you just use one of your own generals to help you? What was that thing's name again? Dark Samus? She could—"

Mere mention of the name caused the room to darken, the lamps in the corner dimming slightly. Mother Brain turned to glare directly at Dr. Wily, a very effective tactic given her single bulging eye. Even Nightmare began to shift around uncomfortably. Dr. Wily seemed to realize his mistake, slowly shrinking into his chair.

"Let me make one thing clear, human," she hissed. "That usurping little _worm_ is _not_ one of my generals. I have not forgotten her exploits on the planet Aether, nor will I forgive her. The Space Pirates are mine and _mine alone_ to command, and I will_ not _tolerate her interference. Have I made myself clear, _Albert?_"

Wily made a soft choking noise and nodded.

"Can I trust that your army of robots will assist me?"

Wily swallowed and nodded again, averting his eyes.

"Good." She turned back to the rest of the group. "Are there any _further_ questions?"

Devil raised his hand. "What, exactly, does this plan of yours entail?"

Mother Brain sneered at the demon. "Is it not obvious at this point? We are going to overthrow the tournament's organizers."

"You mean Master Hand?" asked Ghirahim lazily.

"Yes, both the Master and Crazy Hand," replied Mother Brain. "And all the other inferior lifeforms under their thrall."

The Devil stroked his chin, wicked glee spreading across his face. "We'll usurp the hands' power and bring this world to its knees! Excellent…"

"Then it is settled." declared Mother Brain. "I shall—"

"_What about Ridley?_"

All eyes turned to Nightmare, who had been silent up until that point. "_Shall we inform Ridley of our endeavors?_"

"Hmmm…" Mother Brain pondered on the phantom's words. "Geoform-187, my most loyal attack dog, shall be very instrumental in our plan. He'll keep the hunter and any other meddlers out of our hair. And yet… it is too dangerous to directly involve him just yet. It is best to keep him in the dark for now. I shall summon him when his time comes. Until then, keep this entire operation quiet. Understood?"

A general murmur of agreement went across the room. "Mum's the word," commented Ghirahim under his breath.

"Very good," said Mother Brain. "Perhaps there is intelligent life in this realm after all." She gazed impassively at the group from inside her glass case. "This meeting is now adjourned. I shall summon you all when it is time to take the next steps. Now go."

One by one, the miscreants filed out of the room, with Wily looking the most eager to leave. "Somehow," he remarked to Devil, "I feel like I'll regret this later…"

"Hmph. A human of your ilk would say that," growled the demon. "I will admit that I am not too sure of the flesh-and-steel creature's plan. But at the same time, I feel a great power coming from her. I am willing to tolerate her for the sake of my goals."

"...Oh, fine," Dr. Wily conceded at last. "I'll put up with her as long as I have control of my world when all's said and done. And," he added under his breath, "She'd better stay away from it once it's mine…"

The three villains walked off in different directions, leaving Mother Brain to plot her next move.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: The villains make their debut! I wonder how Mother Brain will pull this off...**_


	6. Let's Renovate!

With the sun shining through the window and reflecting off his armor, Shovel Knight trotted through the halls of the Smash Mansion. Today, he was on one of his patrol routes, keeping watch for any miscreants that would jump at the chance to cause trouble. Technically, it was a self-appointed role, but nobody seemed to mind him roaming around.

The sun glinted off his trusty shovel. In truth, when he had first received the letter long ago, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Being called upon to assist in what sounded like gladiator battles? Featuring many famous warriors from many different worlds? It all sounded like some outlandish fantasy! But his adventurous spirit had shone through, and he followed the map to arrive at a stately manor in the World of Trophies.

"And who knows?" Chester had said right before he set out. "You might be able to find some good loot in that Smash Siblings place! Make sure to let me know if you do!"

Shovel Knight hadn't found any interesting relics so far, but he had found something far greater. Indeed, he had made plenty of stouthearted allies among his fellow Assist Trophies! He was quite fond of Riki, the Nopon capable of using many Arts to confound his foes, and Kapp'n, the kappa that drove around as a chauffeur. They seemed quite strange on the surface, but Shovel Knight wasn't one to judge people based on outward appearances. He trekked on.

The knight's patrol took him down a flight of stairs and out the back doors of the mansion. The air was clean and the world looked fresh, like a shiny new penny. Perfect adventuring weather.

He trotted through the courtyard. Birds were flying and singing overhead. Who knew what he could accomplish on this day? Perhaps he might go on an old-fashioned treasure hunt… Or maybe he could go fishing with one of the Villagers! Truly, the day was full of potential!

"Ah, excuse me!"

Shovel Knight turned to the source of the voice. Sitting at a table was the royal fighter, Princess Peach, and Meta Knight, a pint-sized, serious and somewhat (or very, depending on who you asked) intimidating knight from the planet Popstar. The princess was waving Shovel Knight over. "Excuse me, Shovel Knight! Could you come here for a moment?"

Shovel Knight scurried over to the table and bowed on one knee, offering his Shovel Blade in service. "Good day, Your Highness!" he declared. "How can I be of service?"

Peach laughed softly as a gloved hand came up to cover her mouth. "Oh, Shovel Knight, there's no need for formalities here! We're all equals here!" Meta Knight, sitting in his high chair, silently nodded his agreement.

"Ah, is that so?" Shovel Knight got up. "Well, at any rate, what can I do for you, then?"

The princess took out a pink clutch from somewhere on her person. "Would you mind taking this back to my room for me?"

Shovel Knight extended his hand. "But of course!" he said, taking the clutch from Peach's hand. No sooner had he grasped the purse than it immediately dropped to the ground with a _clang_, surprising both knights present at the table.

"Er… Princess?" began Shovel Knight. "If I may ask, what exactly is in this purse?"

"Oh, you know, just my parasol," replied Peach with a wave of her hand. "And my golf club. And my tennis racket, some spare gloves, a Quartz Charm—" she began to count on her fingers— "a War Fan, my favorite music box, aaand… roughly thirty or so turnips. You know, as you do," she finished sweetly.

"I… see," acknowledged Shovel Knight, lifting the purse with great effort. "Do not worry, Princess! I shall drop this off—_oof!_—posthaste!" And with that, the little knight trotted away, although at a much slower pace than previously. Princess Peach waved him off as he left.

"You know, Princess," intoned Meta Knight, who had observed these events quietly, "I could have easily dropped those off for you."

Peach sighed, a sound more disheartened than annoyed. "Now, Meta Knight, you're always working so hard, training or, quote, '_keeping watch for enemies_'. Isn't it time you relaxed for a while?"

It was Meta Knight's turn to sigh. "...I suppose," he conceded at last.

Peach's mood gladdened instantly. "Perfect!" she chirped. "And just as well, too! I've got the whole day ahead of us planned! After this, we'll be attending a musical performance by Kirby and Wario! Now, I know Kirby's singing isn't… the best, but he's told me that he's been practicing really hard! Won't that be fun?"

Meta Knight shuddered.

* * *

Up, up, up the stairs Shovel Knight jogged, purse in hand. Or rather, he ascended slowly, considering the bag's considerable weight. At last, he reached the princess' sleeping quarters, where he swiftly dropped the bag. After its contents spilled out on impact, however, it then fell to him to place everything in its proper space.

Shovel Knight wiped his brow as he closed the door behind him. Who even _used_ that many turnips?! And he could have sworn one of them had glanced at him as he put it away. Well, at any rate, that was over and done with. Where would he go next?

So, the knight continued his patrol through the mansion, giving a quick nod at a passing Krystal. He passed by the training room, where Gray Fox was instructing Isaac and Lyn. He happened upon the music room, where Diddy Kong was jamming out on an electric guitar. He passed by a simple closed door, completely ordinary in every possible way. He traveled past a—

…

Well! What was this?

If Shovel Knight had learned anything on his adventures, it was to leave no stone unturned. Perhaps this could be a secret treasure room! The thought was very enticing to the little knight. With a great heave, he pushed the door open.

"...Hm."

It was not a treasure room, as Shovel Knight was mildly disappointed to find out. Instead, behind the simple, plain-looking door was a simple, large, plain-looking room, with a perfectly ordinary white wallpaper, flooring and ceiling. More than plain-looking— it was completely empty, save for a window and a small wooden chair in the corner.

Shovel Knight carefully stepped inside, as though he was intruding on a sacred place. Quietly closing the door behind him, he looked around, searching for any secret compartments that might hold treasure inside. Perhaps a section of the wall could be removed, allowing him access to a secret passageway. Yes, that must be it! All he'd have to do is—

Suddenly, the door began to open. Shovel Knight jumped as he heard the doorknob turn. Although a part of him knew that he was in no real danger, his hand flew to his Shovel Blade. The door swung open, and the sound of footsteps, heavy yet careful, filled the room. Shovel Knight whirled around, and found himself meeting the sharp crimson eyes of a black hedgehog with golden rings around his wrists and ankles.

Shovel Knight hesitated. The hedgehog started upon noticing the knight, then peered at him with narrowed eyes. For a moment, neither of them said anything.

At last, Shovel Knight broke the silence. "Good day to you, ah… Shadow, was it?" he spoke in his normal, chipper tone. "What brings you here?"

Shadow's eyes narrowed further. "What are you doing here?" he questioned.

"Oh, uh, I was just… searching for hidden treasure!" explained the knight.

"Searching for hidden treasure," repeated the hedgehog.

"Yes!" replied Shovel Knight.

"In an empty room."

"...Yes."

Shadow paused for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Very well. Do what you will," he said.

Shovel Knight peered at Shadow for a minute. "If I may ask, what are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

"I come here to get away from the… _noise._" Shadow explained. From his tone, _noise_ sounded less like a concept and more like a person. "What of it?"

"Oh! Oh, I was just curious, is all." The knight was silent for a moment. "...It's kind of nice here, isn't it?"

"Mmmm." Shadow was facing away from Shovel Knight, his arms crossed and his eyes closed, deep in thought.

Shovel Knight looked around the plain, undecorated, eerily empty room. "...Why is this room so empty, anyways?"

"How many questions do you intend to ask?" said Shadow curtly.

"I'm just wondering! Shadow, how long have you been coming here?"

Shadow paused for a bit. "...Since the Brawl era," he said at last. "It's empty, because… nobody ever really bothered to put anything here, I suppose."

Shovel Knight thought on his words for a moment. "I see…" There was a long silence between them. Shadow stood there, staring off into the distance.

…

…

"Would you like to redecorate?"

Shadow blinked. "What."

Shovel Knight had turned to the hedgehog. "Perhaps if this room had some furniture, it would seem a bit more welcoming!"

_More welcoming…!_

"Welcoming…" repeated Shadow. Something about the way he said it… intrigued him. He stared at the walls, empty and devoid of life. He stared at the chair, simple but elegant in its construction. He stared at Shovel Knight, his eyes brimming with hope and justice.

Or at least, Shadow _assumed_ they were. It was hard to tell with that helmet on.

"…Very well," he said at last. "I suppose I can help you in your little… endeavor."

Shovel Knight raised his shovel in a show of appreciation. "Excellent!" he declared. "Let us be off, then!" He trotted off into the hallway, with Shadow trailing behind him.

* * *

"Now wait just a minute," said Shadow. "Do you even know where this furniture of yours is?"

Shovel Knight halted mid-stride. "Ah." As a matter of fact, in his newfound excitement for redecorating, he had forgotten that he had no idea of where to actually find any furniture. "Well, I…"

"You don't have any," finished Shadow, his eyes narrowing.

"I will admit, I don't have any furniture on my person at this moment," began Shovel Knight, "but we can still—"

"Excuse me," came a voice. "You say you need furniture?"

Shadow started, and looked around warily. Shovel Knight gripped his Shovel Blade. The hallway was completely empty save the two of them. "Who's there?" growled the hedgehog.

"Ha! Same old Shadow, grouchy as usual!" laughed the voice. "You said you needed furniture, right?"

"Er… yes, I did," stated Shovel Knight, his hand still on his shovel. "But all the same, are you ally or adversary? Show yourself, if you are friendly."

"Well, aren't we brave today!" taunted the voice. "I'm right behind you, you know."

Both assistants whirled around to face the source of the voice. But to their surprise, no one was there. The hallway was completely empty, save for their shadows on the ground, which winked at them.

…

…

...Wait a minute.

Shadow's shadow began to ripple and contort on the ground. Shovel Knight leapt back, his Shovel Blade at the ready. Something was definitely rising out of the ground now. Shadow pulled out a glittering green gemstone, gritting his teeth. Particles of darkness began to rise and concentrate just above the ground. There was a loud _crack_, and standing before the duo was a small imp with a large helmet.

"...Oh."

The imp grinned cheekily at the duo, floating at their eye level. "Well, what do we have here? Shadow the Hedgehog, waltzing around with one of the newbies!"

Seeing that she meant no harm, Shovel Knight lowered his shovel. Shadow gave her no such courtesy. "Greetings, er… Midna, correct? I am Shovel Knight, on a quest of redecoration!" He raised his shovel high to emphasize his point.

Midna stifled a giggle at the knight's speech patterns. "Seems like the others were right. You and Link are cut from the same cloth." She glanced over at Shadow, whose shoulders remain tensely raised. "Well?" she asked.

Shadow's eyes narrowed as he made eye contact with Midna. At last, his quills relaxed and his shoulders slumped, though his hands remained cautiously balled into fists. "Midna," he said by way of greeting.

Midna rolled her eyes. "I couldn't help but overhear that you two were looking for furniture."

"As a matter of fact, yes, we are!" replied Shovel Knight. "Do you know where we can find some?"

"Eee hee hee… Do I ever! But…" Midna paused, taking in Shovel Knight and Shadow's expectant faces. "You two better keep this a secret, alright?"

"O-of course," replied Shovel Knight, "but what kind of secret is this?"

Midna floated over to a brick high on the wall. It was the same color as its neighbors; no one would have noticed it otherwise. As she gently pressed on it, it sank back into the wall, making the bricks below it shift to the side, revealing a long, winding staircase leading downward.

Shovel Knight could've sworn he heard a strange sequence of notes.

Shadow's eyes widened at the sight. "What is that?" he asked.

"You'll find out soon," replied Midna, already descending down the steps. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she asked, throwing a smirk over her shoulder. "Follow me!"

The trio crept down the stairs, each step creaking under their weight. At the bottom, there was a wooden door, marked with a symbol that looked like two leaves, one of which had a bite taken out of it. Midna knocked twice.

"Who's there?" came a gruff voice on the other end.

"Customers!" said Midna.

There was a click as the doorknob turned. Standing in the doorway was a tall man in a leather jacket and sunglasses, with gold and silver jewelry on his arms. He stared scrutinizingly down at the hedgehog and the knight. "Whaddya buying?" he asked.

"'Sup, Rodin," said Midna, morphing her hair into a fist to bump his own.

Shovel Knight was known throughout the valley he called home for his strength, skill, and immense bravery, but even he was a bit… unnerved by the man standing before him. "Uh… Good day to you, sir! I am Shovel Knight, on a quest of redecoration! And this is my faithful companion, Shadow the Hedgehog!" An unintimidated Shadow simply raised his hand in greeting.

Rodin grinned at the knight. "Heh. Got ourselves a real knight in shining armor, don't we? Now then, you folks here for business or for pleasure?" he asked, opening the door to let them in. "Either way, I'll hook you up."

Shovel Knight blinked as he took in the sight of the shop. It was decently sized, with wooden walls and plain flooring, but what really jolted him was the actual decor. Small wooden chairs he'd almost call cute, a stately little cash register on the counter, and that double leaf symbol plastered everywhere. And Rodin simply stood there, leaning against the counter as though nothing was amiss.

"This place ain't mine, you know," said Rodin, snapping the knight out of his thoughts. "While those little raccoon kids are out helping on the battlefield, _I_ get full reign of the joint for a while." He crossed his arms and sighed. "This place makes me miss the Gates of Hell already… So, what'll it be?"

"We're looking for new furniture," explained Shovel Knight. "Would you happen to have any?"

"Furniture, eh?" Rodin rubbed his chin in thought. "Should be in the back somewhere. Don't know how they turn it into leaves…"

Shovel Knight followed the demon's directions, with Midna and Shadow trailing behind. Dozens of chairs, dressers, clocks, and lamps lined the shelves and walls, stretching as far as they could see.

Midna let out an appreciative whistle. "Dang, this place is a lot bigger than the last time I came here," she muttered. "How much furniture do you guys need?"

"Enough to fill an empty room, I suppose," replied Shovel Knight, who was closely examining a television in the shape of a puffer fish. "You're welcome to join us, if you like."

The imp shrugged. "Eh, why not? Oooh, what kinda vase is _that?_" She floated over to get a closer look.

While Midna and Shovel Knight were shopping, Shadow simply stood awkwardly off to the side. He hadn't really expected to find any furniture at all, nor had he expected to find this little store that had apparently existed for quite some time. He sat down in a chair, pink and with a heart-shaped back, to think.

"Hey, hey," called Rodin from the front of the store. "You sit in it, you buy it."

Shadow groaned and rolled his eyes as he stood back up. Very well. It seemed he would have to buy at least one thing here. If nothing else, it would make Shovel Knight happy. He began to pace along the aisle as he browsed the shelves. If he were to spruce up a room with some new furniture, what would he use? If it was according to his own tastes, it would be something economical. Nothing too fancy or luxurious. Then again, he _was_ the Ultimate Life Form, and the Ultimate Life Form deserved nothing less than the best. Perhaps he _could_ splurge a bit. In that case, perhaps he should purchase something a bit bigger. Maybe something black, with red accents. Yes.

And as luck would have it, here was something that fit that exact description! It was an elegant, ornate-looking pendulum clock to be hung on a wall, with golden hands and a handsome gold trim around the casing. Perfect.

Shadow smirked to himself as he picked it up. This would make a fine addition to that dreary old room. All he had to do now was check how much it cost. And according to the price tag, the clock would cost three hundred fifty thousand Bells.

"…"

Remembering the exchange rate in this world, Shadow quietly put the clock back down.

Shovel Knight poked his helmet out from behind a chalkboard. "Have you seen something you like yet, Shadow?"

Shadow blinked. "There's… this clock here, but it's a little on the pricey side."

"What?" said Midna, popping out from behind Shovel Knight. "Lemme see that." She snatched the clock out of the hedgehog's hands and winced upon seeing the price tag. "Jeez," she muttered, scratching the side of her head. "Where the heck do they _get_ this stuff?"

"Hmmm… this is _very_ well made," said Shovel Knight, holding the clock up to the light. "Fascinating…"

As Shovel Knight (and Midna, surprisingly) continued to admire the clock's handiwork, something on the shelf behind them caught Shadow's eye. He pushed past them to get a closer look. Sitting on the shelf, nestled between a rococo lamp and a roll of wrapping paper was a small, blue, inoffensive looking throw pillow.

For some reason, the pillow attracted Shadow's attention like nothing else had that day. He stared at the pillow, as though doing so would unlock the secrets of the universe and beyond. He stared and stared, barely even registering Midna nearly toppling a stack of model curling stones on his head.

"...Yo, Shadow, you alright?" asked Midna.

"Yes…" The hedgehog's voice was barely above a whisper. He picked up the throw pillow and drifted back to the front of the store.

Rodin glanced at the pillow in his hand. "...Is that all?" he asked.

Shadow frowned up at the taller man. "And what of it?"

Rodin simply arched an eyebrow. "Hey, I ain't here for interrogation. I'm just here for business." He took the pillow from Shadow and scanned it. "But in any case…" He lowered his voice as if not to be overheard. "You feel it too, right?"

"Feel what?" asked Shadow, handing Rodin the money.

"Something big is comin' up, hedgehog, and I've got a feelin' we're all gonna get caught up in it sooner or later." The man's face was grim as Shadow fixed him with a steely glare. "Now, I know you didn't ask, and I don't care. But if you want my advice? Keep your ear to the ground and pay close attention. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got customers." He turned back to Shovel Knight and Midna, their arms full of furniture.

Rodin's words stuck in Shadow's head as he began to walk out of the shop. According to hearsay around the manor, Rodin was among the most powerful beings in his homeworld, and possibly even in this world as well. Shadow found that a bit hard to believe, considering his own presence here.

But then again, he had seen how Rodin fought on the battlefield. Summoning demonic limbs forth, all while remaining calm and collected… he reminded Shadow of himself. If such a powerful being spoke of danger, then what could possibly be on the horizon?

"We're all finished!"

The knight's words brought Shadow back to reality. Shovel Knight and Midna were marching out of the store, pushing a shopping cart filled to the brim with furniture. Midna caught his eye and gave him a sly wink. "See?" she smirked. "I told you this was a good idea!"

Shadow smiled wanly. "Yes," he said. "I suppose it was."

* * *

"Man, this place is already looking great!"

Indeed, the old, abandoned room that Shovel Knight had discovered was coming into its own. With several bookshelves lined up in a row, a secret snack-and-coffee station, and a chair shaped like a frog, the room was slowly but surely developing its own personality.

"Yes, I suppose so," agreed Shadow. "Of course, it's mostly due to my discerning tastes," he added half-jokingly.

This got a hearty laugh from Shovel Knight. "Well, if you ask me, I'd say this room is coming together quite nicely!" He glanced at the throw pillow, sitting harmlessly on the couch. "I do especially like that throw pillow, Shadow."

"Y'know," said Midna, reclining on the frog-shaped chair, "I never woulda guessed you'd pick something like _that_."

Shadow turned to face the imp. "What do you mean by that?"

Midna shrugged. "Well, it's just… I thought you were gonna pick something a little… a little more…"

"Edgy?" Shadow finished.

"...Well, I wasn't gonna say it like _that_, but…"

"Believe me," said Shadow, rolling his eyes. "I've heard that far more often than you'd think."

"Well, if nothing else," cut in Shovel Knight, "it definitely ties everything together!"

"Yeah, I guess," nodded Midna. "Makes the place seem more welcoming!"

_More welcoming!_

_More welcoming…!_

* * *

"_Isn't this wonderful, Shadow?"_

_The girl stood there in front of him, her smile wide. In her hands, she held an ottoman, the same shade of black as his fur._

_He nodded excitedly. "Where are we going to put it?" he asked._

"_Hmmm…" She put a finger to her chin in thought. Then, she turns to him and smirked. "Where do _you_ want to put it?"_

_He started. "Me?" He looked around the room. Stars dotted the infinite cosmos just outside the window, a stark contrast to the pale blue planet below. He settled on a spot, just a few paces from the glass. He placed it on the floor, positioned just right, so as to take in the view._

_The girl clapped her hands. "Perfect!" she said. She sat down on it, and he followed suit, crouching down on the cold metal floor next to her. "If nothing else, it makes this place seem much more welcoming!"_

_He nodded. "Mmm." The two of them sat there in silence, watching the world go by._

"_...Hey, Shadow?"_

_He turned to the girl. "Hmm?"_

"_What do you think it's like down there? On the planet?"_

_He paused. "I… don't know," he admitted._

"_Oh, come on!" laughed the girl. "Use your imagination!" She paused, then shut her eyes. "You wanna know what _I _think?"_

_He nodded. "Well, go on."_

"_I think it's just like Grandpa says. With those beautiful, silver moons and warm sunrises. Skies of blue and clouds of white. Bright blessed days and dark—"_

"_Now you're just quoting that song," laughed the hedgehog._

_She stuck her tongue out. "I'm serious, though!" she said, kicking her legs on the ottoman. "I just… I think it—" She shook her head. "No, I _know…_ it's a place filled with hope. You get it, right, Shadow?"_

"_A place filled with hope…"_

_Hope…_

* * *

"Shadow? Shadow, are you all right?"

"Hey, earth to Shadow? You okay?"

Shadow blinked, suddenly remembering where he was. There was a knot in his chest that wasn't there before, and his eyes were shining. He didn't dare turn around to look at the two behind him. He remembered Rodin's words from earlier. _Something big is comin' up, hedgehog, and I've got a feelin' we're all gonna get caught up in it…_

"Shadow?"

The hedgehog in question was quiet for what seemed like an hour, thinking on Rodin's warning. The memory of that day with Maria was still fresh in his mind. He was suddenly aware of Shovel Knight and Midna, standing expectantly behind him.

...He wouldn't get them involved. Not yet. He turned to the two assistants, but did not meet their eyes. "This has been nice, I suppose. I should go now." And before either of the two could say anything, he had turned on his heel and left.

Shovel Knight stood there, staring at the spot where Shadow once was. Midna simply frowned. "Ugh… he's doing that thing again." she groaned. Seeing Shovel Knight's confused reaction (as much as she could through his helmet), she went on. "Oh, yeah, you don't really know Shadow that well, do you? He has this loner persona that he keeps up, even when he's working on a team. So there's _that._"

Shovel Knight rubbed his chin in thought. "I see… I'm familiar with people of that sort."

Midna nodded. "But this time was different. You know what _I_ think?" She leaned in closer. "I think this time… he's hiding something much bigger."

* * *

Shadow stared off into the distance, watching the sun set. Those words played in his head, as they had so many times in his life.

_For all the people who live on that planet… give them a chance to be happy… Let them live for their dreams…_

...Very well. If it meant protecting both this world and his own, he would begin investigating. It was what he'd promised to her so long ago.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__**I still say Shadow should've been playable but whatever.**_


	7. Camera Obscurity

The sky was colored a paler blue than normal. A harsh cold had settled over the land, in spite of the sun that hung in the sky. The ground was hard and frozen, a thin layer of frost blanketing the soil. The howling wind seemed to warn every living thing to stay inside. Breaths came out in clipped, terse puffs and hands were tucked firmly in pockets, at least for those that dared brave the cold. Even the Ice Climbers were careful enough to wear an extra layer as they went out on their expedition for the day.

For everyone else, however, the day was better spent inside, with piping hot beverages and sitting next to blazing hot fireplaces. And that is exactly where a certain young lady was at that very moment, quietly sipping tea as she watched the world outside.

Yuri Kozukata took another sip. She watched with mild concern as someone (presumably the one named Luigi, judging by his green hat) slipped and fell on a patch of ice. The sky had turned the color of a stormy sea as clouds moved in, subtly darkening the landscape.

She continued to stare out at the world beyond. The countryside was vast and seemingly endless… at least, that was what she had been told on her arrival here.

It had already been a year since Yuri first received her invitation to come to this strange place, and she still remembered it as though it was yesterday. She had been sitting alone, minding her own business, when a large, sentient hand(!) had shown up at her door inviting her to participate in a fighting tournament featuring many warriors from across the multiverse. It had given her an envelope, detailing that she was to be an Assist Trophy, stunning foes with her specialized camera, the Camera Obscura.

Her first reaction was asking them to leave, of course.

…Actually, scratch that. Her second reaction was asking them to leave. Her _first_ reaction was screaming at the top of her lungs.

But thankfully, the talking hand and its brother(?!) were quite calm about the whole ordeal. Well, maybe one of them was. The other was prone to… "goofing off", as Master Hand had said. After accepting the position, they had taken her to a place called the World of Trophies, where warriors from other worlds gathered in pitched combat.

Yuri had her misgivings at first, but she inevitably got used to the routine. Her friends had always said she was adaptable to change. In the face of horrifying, supernatural creatures, she remained adjustable, versatile, and resourceful. Even here, in the World of Trophies, nothing could truly faze her for long.

Her teacup emptied, Yuri got up and began to roam the hallways. Although she knew she had nothing to fear, her footsteps were slow and deliberate, as though something might jump out at her at any moment.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted a small, round, and fuzzy creature heading in her direction. Upon meeting her gaze, he smiled and waved. "Good morning, Yuri!" he chirped.

Yuri smiled and waved back. "Hi, Riki! Everything holding up okay?"

Riki nodded. "It's a wonderful day for Heropon! Sun is shining, birds are singing, and the world—"

Without warning, a loud _bang_ interrupted the Nopon's words. A huge chunk of wall burst out, sending Riki flying through the adjacent wall, leaving a Nopon-shaped hole through brick and concrete.

Yuri gasped and fell backward as another explosion rang out. A small object shaped like a mouse scuttled out from the hole in the wall, moving over the rubble and down the hall. After it moved a short distance, it flashed red and exploded, causing loose plaster to fall from the ceiling.

"_Eee hee hee hee!_"

Out popped Skull Kid, a bundle of Bombchus in his hand. He grabbed a handful and tossed them into the air, sending them scurrying in different directions. He briefly locked eyes with Yuri. "What're you looking at?" he said, tossing another Bombchu over his shoulder.

Yuri got up. "Skull Kid, what the hell are you doing?!" she asked.

"What does it look like?" asked Skull Kid briskly. He tossed another bomb over his shoulder. It scooted away and turned a corner. Another explosion rumbled through the hall, along with the sound of someone screaming.

"That's quite enough, Skull Kid!"

Yuri and Skull Kid wheeled around to face the speaker. A tall robot clad in red armor and a long, flowing ponytail was standing in the doorway. A blade of glowing blue energy was in his grip. He stared down at Skull Kid with a stony expression. "Where did you find those, Skull Kid?" he asked.

The imp stared curiously at the robot. "I found 'em in the inventory," he grunted. "It was a real maze in there. Why do you want to know?"

The robot simply narrowed his eyes. "I don't remember you being on inventory duty today. What's more, items are not allowed outside of matches except in extenuating circumstances. Why are you holding Bombchus?"

Skull Kid floated to the ground, clearly caught in the act. "...Who, me? I just, er, _found_ these lying around! So I figured I'd just get rid of some of the extras!"

Yuri and the robot exchanged a glance. Neither of them were fooled by the imp's story. "Well, then," began the robot, "if that's the case, then you wouldn't mind if _I_ took those off your hands." He extended his hand, expecting Skull Kid to take the hint.

Skull Kid stared at the robot's hand. He seemed to be pouting, even through his mask. At last, he sighed and dropped the remaining explosives into the robot's palm. "...Here. You can put it back, I guess." And with those words, Skull Kid glumly floated off down the hallway and disappeared around a corner.

The robot sighed as he held the Bombchus in his arms. "That Skull Kid…" he murmured. He turned to face Yuri. "Oh… I don't think we've met before. Who are you?"

Yuri bowed slightly. "My name is Yuri Kozukata. I'm one of the newer assistants here…"

The robot nodded in acknowledgement. "You, too, huh? My name is Zero. I'm a Maverick Hunter from Abel City. It's nice to meet you." He extended his arm in greeting, a contrast to his stiff and impassive face.

The young woman awkwardly took Zero's hand and shook it. "Nice meeting you, too." There was a long, awkward silence.

…

…

"...I'm sorry," said Zero at last. "Axl always said that I need to, er, loosen up, so…" He trailed off, choosing to take interest in a passing butterfly outside.

Yuri nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Back home, I have a friend, Hisoka… she'd tell me the same thing."

More silence. Yuri fiddled with her shirt, while Zero tapped his foot on the ground. A passing breeze ruffled a curtain and blew Yuri's hair back, not in a dramatic way as in her favorite movies, but in a less noble way that got a few strands of hair in her eyes.

"...I should go," said Zero at last.

"Yeah, I… Me, too," said Yuri. She turned to go, only to stop when she realized that Zero was headed in the same direction. "Oh, were you—"

"Ah— ah," stammered Zero. He, too, paused when he realized where he was going. He turned to go, but caught himself when he realized that Yuri was walking in the same direction. "Wait— wait a second—"

Yuri stopped in her tracks. "Here, let me—" The two were now facing each other. She decided to simply walk past Zero, only to nearly collide with him in the process. "I… aw, jeez."

Zero cringed as he realized what he was doing. "Oh, sorry, let me—" He attempted to sidestep and pass Yuri, but she ended up mirroring his movement, placing them in the same position.

"Ah, _come on—_"muttered Yuri. She attempted to move in the opposite direction, but to her dismay, Zero had done the same thing.

"Um…"

"Hold on…"

This continued for fifteen agonizing seconds.

At last Zero decided to simply stay put, allowing Yuri to pass. She went on her way, with Zero following suit, both of them eager to put the world's worst tango behind them.

* * *

Yuri gave a heavy sigh as she walked down the halls with no real destination in mind. If she was being honest with herself, she really just wanted to get away from that awful interaction she just had. But it wasn't like she disliked Zero! It was just that they'd had a really bad first meeting. Perhaps things would go better the next time they met.

As Yuri contemplated these things, she noticed someone inside the room she almost passed. An older gentleman with a thick white beard was standing at the front of the room, holding a paintbrush in his hand. He seemed to be teaching a selection of others, including a green-haired woman in a red tunic, a tall, thin and grouchy-looking man, and a cyborg with a glowing orange light right between his eyes, all of whom were standing in front of their own easels. Upon noticing Yuri, the bearded man waved at her. "Ah, hello! Are you here for today's art lesson?"

"Hmmm? Oh, I mean, if you'll have me, I guess," said Yuri. As she walked in, the green-haired woman waved excitedly, while the tall man simply scoffed and turned back to his canvas.

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin, said the bearded man. "My name is Vince, and I am one of the lucky few chosen to be an Assist Trophy in this new era of Super Smash Bros."

To Yuri's right, the tall man snorted and rolled his eyes. Vince went on. "It is truly a great honor to see so many new people and discover so many new worlds. In my time here, I have heard of many worlds troubled by chaos and bloodshed. My greatest hope is that painting can provide a brief respite from the strife in your lives."

There was a brief pause as they took in his words. "Perhaps some of you are accomplished artists in your world, or maybe you've never so much as picked up a paintbrush in your life. At any rate, you're about to become part of a grand tradition stretching back thousands of years. Now, with that out of the way, let us begin the first lesson." He took out a piece of chalk and began to write on the chalkboard behind him:

_Still Life:_

_Fruit_

"Still life," explained Vince, "is one of visual art's most enduring genres, with fruit in particular featuring heavily within the genre. It's quite popular among beginners, as it can be broken down into three basic elements: shape, color, and texture. Today, we shall focus on fruit, in particular one of my personal favorites…" He reached into his pocket and pulled a red, shiny tomato. "The tomato. Let's start with the linework…"

The assistants took out their pencils and set to work. As they made their first few strokes, the green haired woman leaned closer to Yuri. "Excuse me, I don't think we've met before," she whispered. "I'm Tiki, and that's Gray Fox over there." She gestured at the cyborg, who only looked briefly at her before returning to his art. "Who might you be?"

"My name is Yuri Kozukata," said Yuri, taking Tiki's hand to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, you're from Fatal Frame, right? I do remember that. Quite the underrated gem, that one," said Tiki with a wink.

Yuri opened her mouth to say something, but was rudely interrupted by the tall man right beside her. "Oh, _puh-leeze_," he drawled with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "You can't underrate something if it's not worth anything to start with."

Both women glared at Waluigi as they continued drawing. "Oh, leave her alone," chided Tiki. "At least she actually _has_ a starring role."

"Shut up, anime girl! What good is a starring role if it's in a failed project?!" retorted Waluigi.

Tiki clenched her jaw and clutched at a mysterious stone on her person, but seemed to decide against it after a quick glance at Gray Fox. Yuri stopped drawing the sepal of her tomato to face the man directly. "What is your problem?" she asked heatedly. "Who even are you?"

"Me? I'm just the one guy among all of you losers that actually deserved to get in." he answered in a falsely humble manner. "But everyone calls me Waluigi."

Yuri had heard the name Waluigi from the murmurings of some of the other Assist Trophies, most of it a complaint of some form. "_Ohhh, _you're _that_ guy. The guy no one likes," she remarked.

Tiki stifled a giggle as Waluigi grimaced even further. Even Gray Fox paused his sketching to glance at them. "Waaah! Go ahead and laugh! But mark my words, one day _I'll_ be the number-one superstar of the world!"

"Ignore him, Yuri," came Gray Fox's raspy voice from behind his easel. "I've worked with Waluigi before. He's been like this since the first Assist Trophy program, unable to appreciate the opportunity he's been given."

"Bah!" said Waluigi scornfully. "_You_ may be content with your lot, but _I_ refuse to be on the same level as you lowlifes!" He turned back to his easel, glaring daggers at Yuri as he applied the first layer of paint.

Time passed, and the lesson went on, with Vince walking around the room and giving pointers to those who needed it. Eventually, he returned to the front of the room and said, "Alright, I suppose that's enough for one day. You are free to take your art with you or simply leave it here for others to admire. Next time, we start on charcoal! I hope to see you there!"

All the assistants got up and headed for the exit. "Oh, Yuri, yours turned out so nicely! You're so talented!" said Tiki.

"Wow, th-thank you!" replied Yuri. She honestly hadn't had much experience in painting, but now that she looked at it… "Your picture looks great, too! And even yours, too!" she added, gesturing at Gray Fox.

The cyborg paused, caught off guard by the genuine compliment. He stared at his painting, the orange light on his helmet glowing steadily. "…I suppose it did," he murmured.

As the three of them stood there admiring each other's art and giving each other pointers, Waluigi stomped past them, his painting tucked under one arm. "Opportunities… waaah, I'll show them…" he muttered under his breath. "Hey, move it! Out of my way, nonachievers!"

Tiki glared at the man as he walked off. "Gods, he's annoying. How does Mario put up with him?" She turned back to Yuri with a sympathetic smile. "At any rate, I guess I'll see you around, then." She turned and left, her painting in one hand and that strange stone she held in the other.

"I suppose I, too, must take my leave," said Gray Fox. He nodded at Yuri. "Farewell, Yuri Kozukata. And remember…" His voice was raspy, yet genuine. "You're much braver than you think you are. Let your position as an Assist Trophy stand as a testament to your skill." And with those words, Gray Fox turned and did a quite impressive backflip out a nearby window.

But not before opening it first.

* * *

Yuri smiled at her painting as she ascended a flight of stairs. Ever since Tiki brought it up, it _did_ look pretty nice… And honestly, Tiki seemed pretty nice, too! She was new to the Assist Trophy program, but she kept a bright outlook, in spite of Waluigi's negativity! She definitely seemed like a good friend.

…It occurred to Yuri that she didn't have anyone that she could really consider a friend. Acquaintances and colleagues, sure, but no one she was particularly close to.

Until today, she supposed.

"Heeey…"

In such a bizarre world, it would be nice to have someone to confide in…

"Heeey…!"

Maybe at some point, she'd invite Tiki over for tea and—

"_Heeey! Over here!_"

Running towards Yuri was a very short boy clad in a blue-and-beige spacesuit. The antenna on his helmet trailed behind him as he ran, with three plant-like creatures following him. He nearly collided with Yuri as he caught up with her. "Hey! Hey, it's you!" he said, smiling widely.

"Oh… heeeey," said Yuri, a little surprised by the spaceboy's arrival, and a little disquieted by the walking plants next to him. Something about the boy was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"Oh, you don't remember me?" said the boy, a little flattened by her response. "It's me, Alph! I'm from PNF-404!"

"Ah." Okay, now she had a name to the face, but she still didn't know where she knew him.

"We were on Wii U together! Remember that party at the end of 2015?"

"Oh,_ yeah!_" Now the memories were coming back! "That was the year those squid people came around, right?"

Alph nodded. "Remember when Bowser fell into that pool filled with ink? Man, it makes me almost miss those days…" He glanced at the painting Yuri was holding. "Oooh! That's a nice drawing of a Sunseed Berry you got there!"

Yuri reflexively bowed in gratitude, Alph's odd terminology sinking in. "I'm sorry, a _what?_"

"A Sunseed Berry!" repeated Alph. Before he could launch into an expository speech, he stopped and took a closer look at the painting. "…Or is that an Insect Condo?" he said tentatively.

"It's… it's a tomato," explained Yuri.

"Oh." Alph thought about this new information for a moment. "Well, that's a pretty weird thing to name a fruit," he said at last. One of the plant creatures at his side stared at the painting in a scrutinizing manner.

The topic of fruit led to yet more conversation. As the two walked, they talked at length about their adventures, about the points where all seemed lost, and their most prominent moments of triumph. Yuri even showed Alph her Camera Obscura, and compared it to a strange gadget of his that he called his KopPad. To their surprise, they learned that in spite of their vastly different appearances and functions, the two devices were actually quite similar in build and framework, almost as if they were derived from the same model hardware.

Their stroll led them to the billiards room, where several Smashers and Assist Trophies were sitting at tables shooting the breeze, having a drink or two, or simply people-watching, like the Nightmare Wizard seemed to be doing.

Yuri and Alph sat down at a table. Some of the people present glanced at them in acknowledgement, but gave no salutation. In particular, Wario and Waluigi briefly looked at them, exchanged a few hushed words, and chortled between themselves, sneaking covert glances at the duo all the while.

"So, anyways," said Yuri, "how have you been enjoying the tournament so far?"

"Oh, yeah, plenty!" replied Alph enthusiastically. "Just yesterday, I was in a match against Captain Falcon on that Delfino Plaza stage! So he starts out with a Raptor Boost right out of the gate, and _I'm_ thinking 'no way', so then I…"

As Yuri listened to Alph prattle on, her eyes fell on Wario and Waluigi again, who were talking with each other again. The taller man nudged the shorter one, and not-so-furtively pointed at Yuri. Wario glanced over his shoulder to peer at the girl. He made a face, then turned back to Waluigi, snickering alongside him.

Yuri simply rolled her eyes as she turned back to Alph, who was finishing up his little anecdote. "...With a xylophone! Isn't that hilarious?" he asked.

_Oh, wait._ "Ummm…" She shifted around in her seat, trying to think of something to say with what little she had picked up. "Yeah, that's… that's great." she said lamely.

Alph stopped smiling. The plant creatures beside him stared up at Yuri and tilted their heads, looking exactly as if they were asking a question. "Were… were you listening at all?" he asked, imitating the head tilt of his comrades. Yuri could only wince and shrug apologetically.

"Oh, it's… it's fine. No, really! It's okay," added Alph hastily, seeing Yuri about to blurt out an apology. The Koppaite rested his helmet in a gloved hand and. "It's just…" He paused, and seemed to briefly consider his words. "Do… do you ever feel like people forget about you?"

A derisive-sounding snort came from Wario and Waluigi's table. Alph tried to ignore it, but a telltale twitch of his eye gave away his true feeling on the matter. "Like, in the last tournament, I got invited, and it was a really big deal, you know? But then, when I got here, they told me I'd only be Captain Olimar's alternate, to use the same moves as him when he's unavailable. N-not that I resent him for that, no! The Captain's really great, honest! But still, they invited Lucina and Dark Pit, and _they_ got to be their own fighters…

"So that tournament comes and goes, and then they announce _this_ tournament. They show off this new 'Echo Fighter' thing, and so I figure this is my big chance! I sign up for it, detail all my proposed differences, all that jazz. I was thinking I was gonna use Rock Pikmin instead of the purple ones," he added, gesturing to one of the creatures beside him. "Anyways, I send in my application, and you know what happens? Not even _twenty-four hours later,_ I get a rejection. Saying I'm 'not different enough'. And now that we've got more people getting invited, I'm probably gonna get left in the dust again," Alph pouted. Yuri was silent, sensing the rancor from the boy's otherwise cheerful face. From the corner, the Nightmare Wizard gazed at them dispassionately.

"But you know, it could be worse," concluded Alph with a shrug. "Not everyone gets to be invited, so I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. And at least I'm an _actual_ fighter, and not just an Assist—" He paused, face blanching with horror at what he was saying. "_Ohmigosh,_ I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I _completely_ forgot you were— I didn't mean that you were somehow— it's just that everyone says it's the worst thing that—"

"Hey, it's okay!" interrupted Yuri. "It's fine, you didn't mean anything by it!" Alph calmed down a bit, but still looked guiltily down at the floor. Vince's art class echoed in Yuri's mind. _You may be content with your lot, but I refuse to be on the same level as you lowlifes…_

_Let your position as an Assist Trophy stand as a testament to your skill…_

"I know how you feel," admitted Yuri.

Alph looked up at her. "You do?"

Yuri nodded and lowered her voice. "We Assist Trophies, we barely get any of the attention that the fighters get. Plus, I was in _Fatal Frame_. I know all too well what it's like to be forgotten. But you know what? I say we make sure no one forgets us! Fight as hard as you can, and make them remember the name Alph! And if someone gives you a hard time, I say fight even harder!"

That seemed to lift Alph's spirits a bit. "…You're right," said the explorer, nodding his head. "And you know, this is a team effort! We're gonna take our place in history together!"

Yuri smiled as the Pikmin surrounding Alph cheered. Off to the side, Waluigi scowled into his coffee, while Wario simply downed his cup, uncaring of the events beside him. They were right as far as Yuri was concerned. If they were gonna be here at all, they were gonna make sure every moment counted! Very soon, everyone would recognize their names! So they sat, filled with a newfound determination to show the world who they were.

So much so, that they didn't even notice that the Nightmare Wizard had disappeared from the room…

* * *

_**Author's Notes: It's Yuri Kozukata! No one else seems to write about her, so I think it'd be nice to see how she, a relatively normal person, meshes with some of the other people around.**_

_**Also she and Alph are Wii U buddies and you cannot convince me otherwise**_


	8. A Strange, Pervading Pessimism

"_Waaaah…_"

"Uhh… is everything okay, man?"

Spring Man and Isaac frowned at the lanky man sitting at the table. He didn't seem to pay the two any mind, instead choosing to glare out the door at passersby. "Look at them," he grumbled.

"...Look at who, exactly?"

Waluigi jerked a thumb in the direction of the hallway. "You know," he said. "_Them._"

Both the assistants poked their heads out the door to see what the man was talking about. To their left, Incineroar could be seen showing off for some of the younger Smashers, flexing his muscles. To the right, they could see Princess Daisy taking a walk with Luigi, clearly enjoying herself. And right in front of them, the water Pokémon Greninja was wiping some dirt off a framed portrait of Yoshi. The moment after he hung it back on the wall and walked away, a shoal of Inklings rushed past, one of them accidentally knocking it loose with their weapon and sending the portrait crashing to the floor. Greninja sighed and left to get a broom.

In other words, business as usual.

"...I don't get it," said Spring Man at last. "What am I looking for?"

"Isn't it obvious?!" said Waluigi, standing up. "Look at all of those _nobodies_ waltzing around, when it should be _me_ out there in the spotlight! Especially _him_," he added, pointing at a young man in a school uniform who was accompanied by a cat. "They'll pick any random schmuck that's got a fancy new gig, but not Waluigi…"

Spring Man simply looked even more confused, while Isaac just pinched the bridge of his nose. "This again…" he sighed.

"_Yes,_ this again!" retorted Waluigi. By now, several other Assist Trophies, including Knuckles and a man with a ponytail wielding a katana, had paused their activities to listen to the purple man's lament. "Let me tell you a story. It all started—"

"Oh, _jeez_, here we go," said Knuckles, who had heard this story many times before.

"—a long time ago, in the last tournament. Waluigi was one of the top candidates to join the battle, you know. But who did they add? That space girl and all of Bowser's horrible children! And then they put Waluigi back on as a B-lister again! It's-a not fair! So then…"

Isaac had grown tired of Waluigi's bellyaching. He tuned him out and made his way toward the table where Knuckles was sitting. "This guy again, am I right?" he muttered.

"Indeed," sighed Takamaru, the katana-wielding man. "It seems that every day, his complaints grow worse and worse."

"Yeah, and it was even worse during the Olympics," sighed Knuckles, rubbing his temples. "Every other word out of his mouth was—" here, Knuckles put on his best Waluigi impression— "It was, '_it's-a not fair!_' or '_everybody's cheating!_' He's just such a _drain_, y'know? It's a wonder Mario and his friends even put up with him…"

Isaac stifled a giggle at Knuckles' imitation. "Was he this bad last tournament?" he asked.

Takamaru nodded solemnly. "I do remember he was very hostile towards the lady of the stars. Mercifully, nothing too bad happened between them. Of course, he tried it again later when the Koopa prince joined the tournament. He…" A small smile played on the samurai's lips. "His father nearly snapped him in two."

Both Isaac and Knuckles burst into giggle fits. Even the samurai, normally stoic and stalwart, had to hide his laughter behind his sleeve.

By now, Waluigi was finishing up his story. "And now, here I am, stuck in the dregs with the rest of you losers," he sighed. "This whole thing is a sham…"

"Are you quite done yet?" asked Hammer Brother, a Koopa soldier with a helmet on his head and a hammer in his hand. "We've heard this spiel like, seven times this week."

Waluigi sneered down at the turtle. "I'm just speaking the truth! Look at me, stuck here rotting and languishing with the lowest of the low! Why do I have to be stuck here with the likes of you?"

Isaac pouted as he turned in his chair to face the purple-clad man. "What do you mean, "the likes of us?" he asked warily.

"You know, the dregs. The refuse, the riff-raff, the underclass of this shindig," explained Waluigi. "In other words," he added in an undertone, "everyone else in this room."

"I heard that!" barked Knuckles. "Who are _you_ calling the 'underclass'?! We've all been in plenty of adventures!"

"Indeed," nodded Takamaru behind the echidna. "In fact, most of us have been on more adventures than you."

Waluigi sneered. "Oh, really?" he scoffed. "Well, what about _you?_ You haven't done anything since the eighties!" He pointed an accusing finger at Baito, who was standing by the coffee maker. "Or _you!_"

Baito blinked, clearly not expecting to be dragged into the discussion. "H-huh? Oh, hey, Waluigi. What did you need?"

"What kind of adventureshave _you_ been on?!" asked Waluigi.

The rabbit was slightly taken aback. "Er… adventures? Well, I… I haven't been on an _adventure_, per se, but I ran the Badge Arcade with Nikki for a few years…"

"Really?" scoffed the purple man. "And how's that _Badge Arcade_ holding up now?"

"It's, uh…" Baito seemed uncomfortable. "I mean, it's still _going_ but… they stopped adding new badges to the rotation, so…"

"So," said Waluigi, his eyebrow raising and his lip curling, "you've been abandoned, then."

Knuckles pounded his fists together and started to stand up, but Takamaru put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Don't do anything foolish," whispered the samurai.

Baito looked down at the floor. "What do you mean, abandoned?" he asked quietly.

"I mean, let's look at the facts," replied Waluigi flippantly. "You've had exactly one measly gig that wasn't even a real gig, and didn't even bring in that much attention otherwise. Then they tried to bring in some new badges to pump some life into it, and, I will concede, it worked out okay. But then again, it was one of those—_ugh!_—_microtransactions_," he hissed. "And now look at you, running your measly little shop and barely scraping by as an assistant… If that doesn't scream abandonment, I don't know what does."

At this, Isaac slowly and deliberately got up. "Lay off him, Waluigi," he warned.

Waluigi simply scowled down at the boy. "Of course, the fellow _reject_ comes to defend him."

Isaac simply crossed his arms over his chest and took a deep breath. "Look, man, it's just that… Baito is new, you know? It's not his fault his thing got shut down. The last thing he needs is your negativity souring things for him."

"Bah! I'm just speaking the truth!" spat Waluigi. "Him, you, that knucklehead—" he jabbed a thumb at Knuckles for emphasis— "you're all a bunch of _damp squibs!_"

There was a silence as everyone present paused to digest the man's words. "...A damp squib?" asked Baito, who was more confused than hurt.

"Who's calling people damp squibs?" came an unfamiliar voice.

Everyone present turned to face the source of the sound. A red bird had poked her head inside the main lounge, glancing contemptuously around the room.

"Wah? Who are you?" asked Waluigi.

"I should ask the same thing," replied the bird. "Banjo, get in here! Who _are_ these guys?"

"Alright, I'm coming…"

Footsteps were heard just outside. The door opened, and a bear wearing shorts and a blue backpack walked in. From the honeycomb in his hand and the honey around his mouth, it seemed he was in the middle of a mid-morning snack. He seemed surprised to see such a colorful cast staring back at him, nearly dropping his honeycomb. "Ummm… hello," he greeted, awkwardly waving a paw. "Kazooie, who are they?" he whispered to the bird.

The bird, evidently Kazooie, shrugged. "Beats me." She turned to face everyone. "Who are you people? Are you new fighters or something?"

An ambiance of disappointment spread throughout the room, something that Banjo and Kazooie quickly picked up on. "No," said Takamaru at last. "This is the room for the Assist Trophies."

"_Ohhh,_" said Kazooie, clarity crossing her face. "This is the place for the also-rans."

Banjo looked shocked. "_Kazooie!_"

"Hey, I'm just stating the facts, Banjo," said Kazooie with a shrug of her wings. She peered over at Knuckles. "See, look. Case in point. They let that no-hoper in here."

"E-ex_cuse me?!_" growled Knuckles, standing up. "Who are you calling a no-hoper?!"

"Well, I _was_ aiming at you," smirked Kazooie, "but I feel like that goes for most of you, doesn't it?"

"Okay, Kazooie, I think that's enough," interrupted Banjo, looking nervously at the increasingly angry-looking crowd and feeling more and more like he'd rather be anywhere else. "I mean, they're not _all_ no-hopers! Look at, uh, Krystal! She's one of our colleagues, remember?"

"Huh?" Kazooie craned her neck to get a better look at the vixen. "Wow, they actually plucked her offa that dinosaur planet? They musta dug _deep_ for that." She turned back to the crowd. "So let's see, we've got a couple of no-hopers, some runners-up, small potatoes, a handful of has-beens, aaand...the ghosts from Pac-Man, I guess. And then there's _you,_" she concluded, turning to the thin, wiry man at last.

"What _about_ me?" hissed Waluigi. In the background, Banjo covered his face with a paw, silently praying a fight wouldn't break out.

"You, of course," replied Kazooie, simpering smirk creeping up her beak. "You, who's never had an adventure of your own, always being passed over in favor of the _real_ VIPs… or a _plant._" The breegull leaned in close, close enough to lower her voice to a still-audible whisper. "The dampest squib of all."

Waluigi glared at Kazooie as though she was the proverbial doorknob that had snagged the headphones off his ears. "Why, you…!"

"Okay, I think that's _enough_," cut in Banjo, seizing Kazooie by her neck and shoving her inside his backpack. "I'm sorry for any frustration my friend has caused," he said, beginning to back away from Waluigi's angry glare.

Quick as a whip, Waluigi brandished his tennis racket. "_You cheaters!_" he yelled as he lunged towards the bear.

Luckily, Banjo was quick enough to avoid the initial swing of the tennis racket. He leapt back out of the room and bolted down the hallway as fast as his legs could carry him. As he fled, Kazooie poked her head out to blow a parting raspberry at the group. "Have fun in the trash bin, washouts!" she called as Banjo turned a corner.

There was a tense, sullen ambience in the room. Everyone was shocked into silence. No one knew how to respond to Kazooie's mockery. At last, Starfy's voice cut through the quiet. "She… she didn't really mean it, did she?"

"Of course she _meant_ it!" growled Waluigi. "Look at us! Stuck on the sidelines, while those overrated losers hog the spotlight! Well, I'm not like the rest of you. _I'm_ actually an asset to this establishment! I'm-a gonna go show those losers what-for! Waaa!" And with that declaration, Waluigi stomped out, leaving his coworkers to ruminate on his words.

* * *

Waluigi's words had quite a lasting effect on the Assist Trophies. After his little outburst, it seemed that everyone was in a sour mood that day. Some of the more chipper assistants, like Starfy and Spring Man, were notably more sullen and glum, while the crabbier assistants like Shadow were even snappier than they usually were. As a matter of fact, when Samurai Goroh was summoned later that day, he wasted no time recklessly slashing not only at his opponents Shulk and Ganondorf, but at his summoner Ness as well, claiming that "the stage was too crowded". Not many people bought his claim (least of all Ness), but no one could prove it either.

At lunchtime, Knuckles walked up to where Isaac, Phosphora and Spring Man were sitting and slammed his tray of fruit salad on the table. He flopped down in his chair with a huff, crossing his arms.

"…Rough day?" supplied Spring Man.

"It's just… Waluigi's such a _scumbag_, y'know?!" grouched Knuckles. He picked miserably at an apple slice on his plate. "Like, we _know_ that being an Assist Trophy is the worst thing that _ever_ happened to you. We get it, alright?!"

Phosphora nodded in agreement. "I dunno how anyone's able to be in the same room as him for more than five seconds. He's like, every jerk we've ever known rolled into one!"

"He wasn't this bad back in the Brawl tournament," mumbled Isaac, idly picking at his food. "I mean, he was still a jerk, but back then, all that happened was that he had it out for Luigi."

"And now," said Knuckles, head in his hands, "he has it out for everyone else. I mean, seriously, who does he think he is, putting everyone down like that?"

Spring Man cleared his throat. "Well, I can't say I know him that well, but he definitely seems like a… like a jerk." His spiraled eyes were downcast. "Baito… Baito didn't deserve that." A hum of approval went through the table.

"Hey, are you guys talking about me?"

The rabbit in question was approaching their table. His normally light, upbeat steps were slow and plodding, and his ears were lowered in an uncharacteristic droop. He flopped down in the seat next to Knuckles and sighed deeply.

Knuckles looked over at the rabbit. "Hey, you alright?" he asked hesitantly.

"I'm… I'm okay." Baito's normally chipper voice was subdued and quiet.

"Hey, y'know, listen," began Knuckles. "Waluigi talks a big game about how he's so much better than everyone else, and how everyone else is just a bunch of cheaters, but y'know what? I know for a fact that he's just a self-important blowhard. Don't let 'im get to you."

"And you know what?" added Isaac. "So what if the Badge Arcade had microtransactions? Lots of people around here have done work with microtransactions!"

"Those are mostly, like… _gacha games_, though," said Phosphora, wrinkling her nose.

Everyone winced at mention of the genre. Nobody would dare appear in a gacha game if they could help it. Even some of the more unscrupulous among the Assist Trophies would balk at the offer of a gacha game, even if they were told it would be their key to fame. Isaac quickly realized that his statement wasn't as helpful as he thought it would be. "Yeah, never mind," he mumbled, turning his eyes to the ground.

Spring Man tried to change the subject. "At any rate, you certainly haven't been abandoned. Try to look towards the future! Let's see… maybe… maybe the higher-ups could retool the Badge Arcade to customize the Home Menu! I mean, who doesn't love badges? Am I right?" He glanced around at the others, expecting assent.

There was no response. Knuckles looked awkwardly away, while Phosphora picked at her sautéed fish. "I like badges," mumbled Isaac.

"Or, you know, umm…" Spring Man racked his brain for an idea. "Oh! I hear there's some really great opportunities in the Animal Forest! I'm sure they'd welcome you with open arms!"

Baito briefly glanced at Spring Man. "Yeah, I guess," he said softly.

Spring Man nodded excitedly. Another idea suddenly came to him. Biting back a grin, he declared, "I'm sure they'd welcome you with _open arms!_" He stretched out his spring-like arms in a goofy flexing gesture.

Nobody laughed.

"Open arms." he repeated. "Arms. …'Cause I got… the arms."

"I get it," said Phosphora, only barely smirking.

"_Anyways_," said Isaac, eager to steer the conversation away from any more arm-related puns, "the point is, you haven't_ been_ abandoned. You're still running the Trophy Shop, right? The fact that you're here at all is proof that they saw something in you! And who knows? Maybe you could be a dark horse candidate for the next tournament!"

Phosphora pulled a hesitant face. "_Ehhhh_…"

"I mean, he _could!_" added Isaac hurriedly. "Just look at Richter! No one really expected him to get invited!"

"He… wasn't an Assist Trophy, though," replied Knuckles.

"Plus, I hear he's pretty prominent in some circles," added Spring Man.

"_The point is,_" said Isaac, "Baito still has a chance to get in next time!"

Phosphora looked sideways at Isaac. "Again, _ehhhh_…"

Knuckles shot her a look. "Phosphora, come _on_."

"I mean, _realistically,_ though!" she said defensively. "Like, I don't mean this in a mean way, but what makes Baito so special?"

"Guys, it's okay. I get it."

Everyone at the table paused to look at Baito. He hadn't spoken at all through the whole conversation. His face was dour, and his voice was low but plainly dejected.

"I get what you guys are saying. I know popularity isn't everything. I'm not about to pretend like I'm super legendary like Mario or Link. I consider myself really lucky to be here." Baito sighed lightly. "Anyways, I should… I should go get the Trophy Shop ready." With those final words, the rabbit got up and trudged away, with the other assistants looking sadly after him.

A heavy fog hung in the air.

* * *

The day's matches came and went in a whirlwind of activity and explosive crates. The assistants had headed back to the lounge to freshen up after dinnertime. But that evening was different. Instead of the laid-back, relaxed atmosphere that was normally present after dinner, there was a strained, uncomfortable silence as everyone busied themselves with their own affairs, giving each other a wider berth than normal. For Bomberman, the silence was unbearable.

"So!" he said, clapping his hands. "How was everyone's day today?" he asked the room.

The room didn't answer. The only sound was from Midna, quietly sipping her Pep Brew.

"Um… did you guys see that match between Peach and Samus today? That was… that was fun…" said the robot, his voice trailing off.

This time, Knuckles grunted in acknowledgement, staring off into space. Bomberman perked up a little. Okay, that was good! He was making progress! "Yeah, I sure hope they saved the replay for that one!" laughed the robot. "I, uhh… I sure hope I get summoned tomorrow!"

"Why? So you can get mauled again?" asked Ashley, not even bothering to look up from her cauldron.

"Er—" Bomberman was a little caught off-guard. It _was_ true that he had gotten beaten up in the last couple of matches that he had been summoned, but he still managed to score a couple of points! He decided to change the subject. "I hear Snake is gonna fight Banjo and Kazooie tomorrow! Isn't that—"

This time, the silence was broken by Knuckles' sudden angry exclamation, making everyone jump. The echidna huffed and sat back down, muttering to himself. "Stupid bird… _who's_ a no-hoper…"

_Oh, yeah. That._ Bomberman hadn't been present at the time, but he had heard of the conflict that had arisen when Kazooie had popped in for a visit. Based on eyewitness accounts, the bird had rather coldly slandered most of the assistants present, coming to a head when Waluigi had attacked. Speaking of which…

"Hey," said Bomberman out loud. "Where _is_ Waluigi, anyway?"

The reaction was immediate. Ashley pounded on the rim of her cauldron, Midna threw her drink on the ground, and Knuckles slammed his fists on the couch, while Krystal just sighed loudly.

Bomberman looked surprised. "What? I was just asking where—"

Knuckles stopped him. "Don't… don't bring up that…" He paused, noticing that the young Starfy had wandered into the room. "That jerk," he finished.

"O-oh…" The robot guiltily looked down at the floor. He supposed that was to be expected. "Yeah, he's kind of a jerk."

"_Waaaah_…"

Like an unsightly worm in a seemingly delicious, juicy Gala apple, Waluigi suddenly appeared in the doorway. This time, he appeared even crabbier than usual, with gnashing teeth, clenched fists, and throbbing veins on his temples.

"See what you did?" said an exasperated Knuckles. "Speak of the devil, you know."

The purple-clad man said nothing as he stomped into the lounge and flopped down onto the couch, grumbling and muttering. "Everybody else gets a starring role, but _nooo_, not Waluigi. Never Waluigi…"

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. No one seemed willing to make the first move. At that moment, Baito walked in, wiping sweat from his brow. "Phew! What a day!" he yawned. "I must've gotten summoned like, _twelve_ times today! And some of those were on that Dracula's Castle stage! I know I can't really get hurt in these matches, but those monsters really… really creep me out…"

Baito's voice trailed off as he glanced around the room, fully taking in the tired, irritated faces of his fellow assistants. He absentmindedly rubbed at his neck. "Umm… everything alright here?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh, no, everything's fine," said Waluigi in a mock-jovial manner. "Everything's great. Wonderful, even. Everything's just hunky-dory!"

Baito was a bit taken aback by the sudden outburst. "You… you don't sound hunky-dory," he mumbled.

"Of _course_ I don't!" shouted Waluigi, suddenly standing up. "It all started a long time—"

Waluigi's story was abruptly cut off by a purple bolt of light hitting him clean in the side of the head. Several people shouted in alarm. There was a burst of foul-smelling smoke, forcing everyone to cover their mouth, lest they inhale it and suffer the consequences. When the air had cleared, Waluigi was flat on the ground, lying face-down.

Except… he didn't really have a face to speak of.

Waluigi's entire head had been replaced by a large, fat-looking eggplant.

Baito's eyes were wide with shock. "Wh—?!"

"_Ashley!_" came the voice of Red. "Was it the eggplant spell again?!"

"Yeah." The witch gazed dispassionately at Waluigi.

Red appeared in a puff of smoke. "Jeez, Ashley, you gotta—" He stopped, noticing that Waluigi was touching his eggplant head, frantically searching for a face. "Oh, it was Wally?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, okay. Never mind, then." There was another burst of smoke, and Red was back in his scepter form.

"Y'know what, I'm gonna take this as an opportunity to hit the hay," said Knuckles, standing and stretching out his arms. "G'night, you guys."

One by one, the assistants plodded out of the main lounge and into their bedrooms. Spring Man, he noticed, had significantly less spring in his step. Waluigi waddled out the door, bumping his head on the doorframe in the process. The robot alone was left alone in his chair as a single lamp bathed the room in a warm light.

Bomberman sighed, resting his head in his hands. Things really were rough, it seemed. He understood that some people had a right to be bitter, but now it seemed like everyone was a little sour. He sat and looked at the moon outside, hanging lazily in the sky.

"Everything all right, Bomberman?" asked Baito.

Bomberman sighed again. "Not really, no." He turned to face the rabbit. "Listen, man, I'm… I'm sorry you had to see that."

"See Waluigi get an eggplant for a head?" asked Baito.

"What? No, I was—well, to be honest, yeah, that, too, but I was talking about what happened this morning with Waluigi and Kazooie. I wasn't there, but I heard."

Baito shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. I don't take those things too personally. Believe me, when the Badge Arcade was still open, I heard plenty worse." There was a heavy, thoughtful silence.

Bomberman put his hands behind his head. "Yeah. It's like there's a…" He paused, searching for the right words. "A… weird amount of… _pessimism_ that people seem to have around here. Have you noticed that?"

Baito nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. Sometimes, I hear some guys talking about us around the water cooler. Stuff like 'the rejects' or 'that nobody over there'… or even 'that weirdo rabbit with the microtransactions'. And I'll be real with you, I don't really blame them for that last part."

Bomberman was quiet. His eyes fell to the ground. "...Oh," he said at last.

"But you know what bugs me the most?" continued Baito, staring up at the moon. "A lot of my colleagues around here will say that being an Assist Trophy is the worst thing that can happen to you. But I feel like they… they just can't see the forest for the trees. I mean, look around you! Mario is here! Pikachu is here! Sonic the Hedgehog is here! Pac-Man, Mega Man, and even _you_, Bomberman! I feel like this isn't just a tournament of the multiverse's greatest, this…" He motioned with his paws, unable to find the right words. "This is something _more._ Aren't they excited to be a part of all this?!"

Bomberman nodded sagely. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I just wish that other people saw it that way…"

"Mmm." Baito checked his watch. "Well, at any rate, I've gotta open the shop early tomorrow, so…" He took the robot's hand and shook it. "Take it easy, man." With those final words, the rabbit turned and left the room. The robot was now alone.

Bomberman let out a heavy sigh as he watched an ant crawl up the wall. Morale was really at an all-time low. Knuckles seemed miserable, Ashley was even grouchier than usual, and he hadn't even seen Isaac all day. Even _Baito_ seemed a little down! What was he to do?

The robot trudged back into his bedroom and flopped down onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, as though doing so would give him an answer. The only thing it gave him was a headache. His mind drifted to the conversation he'd had with Lyn and Starfy all those weeks ago.

_As long as you have loved ones, wherever they are, know that they're thinking of you… And when you have that, then you can do anything._

Bomberman thought of Planet Bomber, and the rest of the Bomberman Brothers. He thought it strange that they were referred to as such, despite the fact that two of them were girls. Then again, he supposed, it was probably like the Super Smash Brothers tournament he was in now.

The images of his siblings filled the robot's head as he closed his eyes. Red Bomber, who was always so fiery and passionate… he'd probably be psyched to be in a place like this. Yellow Bomber, always smiling, even if he had his head in the clouds most of the time… Pink Bomber, who was so bubbly and optimistic… if those three were here, maybe the other assistants wouldn't feel so down. Bomberman suddenly began to wonder how Chef Kawasaki was holding up; he hadn't heard from him in a while. The poor guy was probably being worked down to the bone!

What they needed, Bomberman thought, was a good pick-me-up. Something to lift everyone's spirits, a small breather from the stresses of the tournament. But what could he do…?

He knew that the manor had a couple of recreation rooms scattered around. Maybe he could do something there? Hmm…

…

…

"…_That's it!_"

Bomberman leapt up out of his bed, sat at his desk, and began to write. The night was still young, and the ideas were practically writing themselves. This was gonna be perfect! All he'd need to do was print some flyers out in the morning…

* * *

The next day, two specific Inklings, one clad in magenta and the other in green, were strolling down the hall, shooting the breeze with no clear destination in mind. The one in magenta was constantly glancing around with wide eyes, eagerly taking in all her surroundings. Her lime green-clad companion, however, was much less enthused, instead focusing on her phone.

"Hey, Marie?" asked the magenta Inkling.

"Yeah?" replied the green Inkling, not taking her eyes off her phone.

"You know werewolves?"

Marie stopped walking. "I'm sorry, what?" she said.

"You know, like werewolf-ism?" She hunched over and bared her teeth to illustrate.

Marie stared blankly at her. "That's lycanthropy, Callie," she said with a small smile.

"Yeah, _that's_ the word!" replied Callie. "I was thinking, what if there was that, but with birds instead?"

Marie was silent. She seemed to ponder this scenario for a moment. "Hmmm… a werebird, huh?"

Callie nodded excitedly. "Yeah, like, would you be like, half-squid and half-bird, or would you just be a regular bird? Actually, now that I think about it, how would it even spread? Birds don't bite, as far as I know, so, like…"

"Well, _you_ were the one that brought it up," replied Marie with a grin.

"Yeah, but—wait, what's that?" Something behind Marie had caught Callie's attention.

Marie turned around to see a cork bulletin board hanging on the wall. Stuck to the board was a colorful flyer, standing out among a sea of obsolete event notices and sticky notes with crude drawings on them. Both Inklings moved in closer to read it.

_Bomberman's Blowout Bonanza!_

_Come have a blast, or simply relax!_

_All are welcome, from fighters to assistants to Final Smash helpers!_

_Located in Recreation Room B-3, West Wing_

_Saturday at 8 PM_

The text was arranged to resemble a large, cartoony bomb.

Both Inklings stared as they took in the information. Marie was the first to speak. "This sounds really…"

"Cool!" finished Callie. "Marie, we should totally go."

"Ooooh, uhh…" Marie's face made an odd expression that was somewhere between hesitation and distaste. "You _sure_ about that, Callie? I mean, '_Blowout Bonanza?_' That title's really… how do I put this…" She fumbled for the right word. "_Stupid._"

"Oh, come on, it's a cute name! Look, 'have a _blast_'! That's hilarious! We should go to this thing!"

"Nah," said Marie, turning away.

"Come on," said Callie, positioning herself in front of her cousin. "_Please?_" she asked, putting on her best pleading face.

Marie was not taken in so easily. "You're gonna keep doing that until I say yes, aren't you?" she asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," shrugged Callie, still keeping the pleading face.

"Uuugh, _fine,_" relented Marie, rolling her eyes. "But if it's lame, I'm bailing."

Elsewhere, Bomberman was quite busy indeed, putting up his flyers in every room he could reach. From the gym to the billiard room, to the cafeteria, to the trophy shop, a flyer could be seen hanging on the wall.

Bomberman was about to hang up another flyer in the library, but his hand slipped and it flew out of his hands. Mentally cursing the lack of fingers on his build, he put down the stack he had in his other hand to look for it. Just as he was about to pick it up, another hand plucked it off the ground from behind a bookshelf.

"Hmmm, what do we have here? Let's see… 'Blowout Bonanza', huh?"

A pink robot with an oblong head floating above his torso and hands with no visible arms was holding the paper, scratching his head. He was reading the flyer in a scrutinizing manner before noticing Bomberman standing in front of him. "Is this yours?" he asked.

"Hey, Sukapon," said Bomberman, offering a small wave in greeting. "Yeah, I'm setting something up soon. Do you wanna come?"

"Ha! Boy, do I!" Sukapon nodded, pointing at the flyer. "I mean, just look at that pun! 'Have a blast'! Hilarious!"

"I know, right?!" said Bomberman. "Gosh, it's so nice to meet someone who gets it, y'know?" As the two robots laughed over wordplay, a thought suddenly came to Bomberman. "Wait a minute, Sukapon. You… you're a comedian, right?"

Sukapon stood up a little straighter and held his floating head a little higher. "Sure am! After all, I was literally built for stand-up!"

"That's perfect!" said Bomberman, clapping his spherical hands. "Sukapon, you can be our entertainment that night!"

"R-really?" Sukapon stammered. "You want me at this shindig? Well, gosh, I'd love to! Luckily for you, I thought up a whole slew of jokes for just such an occasion! I'll gladly lend a _hand_ for ya!" he added, waving around one of his floating hands.

Bomberman laughed. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Bring some more of that on Saturday!"

As Sukapon left, Bomberman couldn't help but smile as his mind buzzed with ideas and anticipation. Sukapon was going to be a great opener! He'd put up flyers all over the place, so at least like, seventeen or eighteen people would show up. Plus, they could have a movie night, or play some Mario Kart, or even just sit and talk!

But first, he'd have to get some snacks! After all, snacks were probably the most important part of any party! He hoped that Chef Kawasaki would be willing to lend him something… Gosh, this was gonna be great!

* * *

The week passed in a whirlwind, and before anyone knew it, the weekend had arrived. On Saturday night, Bomberman was ready, with an assortment of chips and dips in bomb-shaped bowls, a fountain borrowed from Chef Kawasaki, and a fair amount of company consoles hooked up to a television. So far, everything was going great! All that was left to do was wait…

He didn't have to wait too long, for there was a distinct _tappa-tap-tap_ at the door, just as he was getting out the fancy beverages. "Be right there!" said Bomberman as he jogged towards the door.

It was Sukapon, wearing a lavender bowtie on the top of his floating torso and looking quite nervous. "...Too much?" he asked, wringing his hands.

"No, no, it's fine," said Bomberman. "It's great. Come on in! Have something!"

"Man, oh, man… I'll admit, I'm a little nervous about this," said Sukapon as he placed a few barbeque chips on a paper plate. "I mean, this is the first time I've done this in what, twenty-seven years? What if I've gotten rusty?"

"Hey, you'll be fine!" reassured the white robot. "This is just a small thing between friends, so it's not like it'll make or break your career. Here, lemme hear some of what you got."

"Well… okay," said Sukapon. He straightened up and cleared his throat. "Hey, everyone, you ever been to that Pokémon Day Care? Yeah, I heard they got a new low cholesterol Pokémon… _Butterfree!_"

"Ah-_ha!_ That's great! Low cholesterol…" laughed Bomberman. "Although… that one sounds kinda familiar…"

"_Familiar?! _You mean you've heard it before?!" cried Sukapon. He sank to the floor in despair. "Oh, man… I really _am_ gettin' rusty…" he moaned.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay! You're fine!" stammered Bomberman. Just then, another knock at the door called for his attention. "Coming!" said the robot as he hurried towards the door.

This time, Baito was standing there, dressed in his usual attire. "Hey, am I late? Did you guys start without me?"

"Oh, no, we were just getting started! Come on in!" replied Bomberman. The rabbit obliged, trotting over to the snack table and sampling some of the chips.

"Thank goodness! When I saw that flyer, I spent all night trying to make the perfect mixtape!" He took out a small flash drive from his pocket.

"Oh, did you?" asked Bomberman. This was going better than expected! "Well, what are you waiting for? Put on some tunes!"

Baito took out a laptop and plugged the flash drive in. He tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and peppy orchestral music filled the room:

"_Saiko boru ga hikari hanachi,_

_Atena no sugata terashidasu no…_"

"Oh, is that the new remix?" asked Bomberman. "I love that song!"

"_Saiko pawa o kokoro ni himete,_

_Hateshinai michi o hashiru,_

_Ima wa mou aosora mienai kedo…_"

Baito plucked out a microphone from his pocket and began to sing:

"_Fire! Fire! Psycho Soldier!_

_Fire! Fire! Psycho Soldier!_"

Sukapon stared at Baito with wide eyes. "Wow, I didn't know you could sing like that!"

Baito bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Haha! Well, you know… Oh! By the way, did you know that this is the first game song to have lyrics?"

As the second verse began, Bomberman caught the sound of a light rapping at the door. "Just a second!" he called as he rushed towards the door.

The Squid Sisters were standing in the doorway, with Callie wearing a simple pink beanie and matching hoodie, while Marie had on a light green cap and shirt combo.

"Surprise!" said Callie, striking her iconic pose. "I hope we're not too late! I heard the music so I thought you were holding a concert without us!" Marie, who so far hadn't bothered to look up from her phone, simply offered a half-hearted wave in response. It was very clear to Bomberman which of the two was more enthused about the get-together.

"Hey, so glad you could make it!" greeted the robot with a smile. "We were actually just getting started when Baito brought his mixtape in! There's some refreshments in the back if you need anything!"

"Yeah, I'd love some! See, Marie?" nudged Callie to her cousin. "And _you_ said this party was gonna be lame!"

"I'm still not convinced," said Marie, finally putting away her phone as she walked over to the couch.

"…Okay. Have fun." Bomberman was a little put down by her comments, but he remained undeterred. The Blowout Bonanza was going great, regardless of what Marie or anyone else said!

"Oh, by the way," said Callie as he piled her plate high with jalapeno chips, "I hope you don't mind if I invited a couple of people along."

"No, no, that's fine. That's great, actually!" said Bomberman. "It's like they always say, the more the merrier!"

In waddled Starfy, smile as wide as ever, gently bobbing to the music. "Hi, Mister Bomberman!" waved the star creature. Behind him, Knuckles and Takamaru padded into the room, the latter's hand drifting towards his katana. When the samurai glanced at Sukapon, he seemed to relax a bit.

"Hey, Starfy!" Bomberman knelt down and low-fived the little star.

Takamaru glanced around the room, at Sukapon looking through some note cards he had brought, at Baito clicking through his laptop to choose another song, and at Callie stuffing her face by the snack table. "If I may ask," he whispered to Bomberman, "what, exactly, is the purpose of this 'Blowout Bonanza'?"

"Hmm? Well, you see, I've noticed that a lot of people, like most of the Assist Trophies are just, weirdly… _bitter_ about the tournament recently," explained the robot. "So I figured I'd try to cheer everyone up with a party!" He gestured around the room. "Y'know, a way to lift everyone's spirits!"

"I see," said Takamaru, looking around the room. "A respectable goal, I suppose."

"Yup!" nodded Bomberman. "No negative vibes allowed here!"

"_Waaah!_"

"Oh, come _on._"

Like a horrid, mustachioed roach in an otherwise lovely fruit cobbler, Waluigi popped into the doorway, now seventy percent less eggplant. Any and all activity died on the spot as he stomped into the rec room, his trademark scowl as unpleasant as ever. He paid no mind to the unimpressed looks sent his way. "What's this I hear about a shindig?" he asked the room.

Bomberman, picking up on the obvious tension in the room, stepped forward. "Hey, Waluigi. It's a party I'm holding to—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," interrupted Waluigi, twirling his mustache. "I read your dumb flyer. I just came along 'cause I didn't have anything better to do." He shoved past Callie towards the snack table and began to pile his plate high with salt and vinegar chips. "Oh yeah," he added through a mouthful of food, "I brought a guest."

A shiver went through the other assistants. Who would be awful (or unlucky) enough to attend any social gathering with Waluigi? As they pondered this question, the realization hit Bomberman like one of his own misplaced bombs. His skin prickled with irritation and a sudden weight made itself known in his core. Indeed, he could think of only one person that could tolerate Waluigi for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time, and it could only be…!

"_Wahahaha!_ It's-a me, _Wario!_"

Wario, clad in his classic yellow shirt and purple overalls, appeared in the doorway, much like a swarm of wasps would appear during a lovely picnic. But for Bomberman, the key difference was that wasps at least were valuable to gardens as biological pest control, whereas Wario provided no such benefit. And from the looks of things, his guests weren't terribly enthused about the new arrival either.

But Wario paid them no mind as he strutted towards the snack table, his large rear end swinging from side to side. He plunged his (thankfully) gloved hand directly into the bowl of onion and garlic flavored chip and poured them into his mouth, loudly chewing and making noises of pleasure as he did so.

"Oh, _cod,_ no," said Marie, getting up and walking towards the exit.

Knuckles leaned over to whisper to Bomberman. "I know you had good intentions and all, but… _why them?!_" he hissed.

"I didn't _invite_ anyone, per se," replied the robot, feeling the energy drain out of him as he watched Waluigi double dip his vinegar chips. "I left it open to all that were willing to come."

Starfy, the only one seemingly not bothered by Wario and Waluigi's presence, toddled up to the yellow-clad man. "Hi, Mister Wario! It's me, Starfy!"

"Eh?" Wario looked down at the star-creature staring up at him. "Oh, hey, kid." He offered Starfy some chips. "How's life been treatin' you?"

Bomberman couldn't believe what he was seeing. Starfy, so young, so innocent, walking up to Wario as though they were old friends? And Wario, so greedy, so crude, was actually being _nice_ to him?! What was going on here?! He glanced at Knuckles, who seemed just as shocked as he did, eyes wide and jaw hanging to the floor. No, no, something was up. He had to get to the bottom of this.

"Excuse me!" he said, marching over to where Wario stood. "Wh—what's going on here?!"

Starfy looked inquisitively at the robot, while Wario simply sneered at him. "Whaddya want, Bomb Boy?" asked Wario disdainfully.

Bomberman glared at the man before taking a deep breath. "Wario. Starfy. How do you two know each other?"

"Oh! Oh!" Starfy jumped up and down eagerly. "He's my friend! He helped me save Pufftop once! And he shared some of his treasure with me!" He took out a copy of Wario's hat and placed it on his head. "_It's-a me!_" he imitated, stubby arms akimbo.

"Wahahaha! Excellent fashion sense!" laughed Wario. "Yeah, that was a good one."

Bomberman found himself struggling to parse this new information. Friends? From what he had heard, Wario only had a few friends, separate from Mario's usual crew. Helped him? Wario only ever helped anyone if he got something out of it. _Sharing his treasure?_ Wario was loath to share anything, let alone treasure.

"Really?" said Bomberman after some time. "That's, uh, that's very interesting."

Wario took a swig of cherry soda as he fixed Bomberman with an odd stare. "What's your problem?" he asked. "Jealous that the kid likes me better?"

"Hrmm! You would say that!" grumbled Bomberman. "As if you didn't try to invade Planet Bomber!"

Wario's face went blank. "What?"

"Oh, don't pretend like you don't know!" retorted Bomberman. "You discovered a portal to my world and tried to plunder it for all it was worth!"

"…Hmm." The gears were slowly turning in Wario's head. "Oh, yeah! _Now_ I remember! It was the same type of deal with Yoshi and those girls from Popples…"

"Well?" said Bomberman, tapping his foot. "Are you going to explain yourself or what?"

Wario shrugged. "Eh, it was a contractual obligation. Lemme tell ya, the nineties were a wild time for everyone…"

"And you didn't have any ulterior motives for helping Starfy?!" Bomberman was nearly at the end of his wits.

"They were trying to clean up Wario's image. Make me less of a bad guy and more one of those anti-heroes, eh? What can I say? I'm a complicated guy." As Wario was about to take another bite of dip, an up-tempo pop song began to play from the speakers. "Ooh, this is my jam! Watch out!" He abandoned his snacks and picked up a microphone, ready to croon to lyrics he only knew halfway.

"I…" Bomberman's eye twitched involuntarily. "But—you—seriously? That's it? _Contractual obligations?!_" Suddenly, he felt the urge to take out a Power Bomb and watch him go up in smoke.

As Bomberman huffed and puffed, Takamaru gently pulled him aside. "I believe you said something about 'no negative vibes allowed'?"

The robot sighed. "Yeah, I guess…" As he surveyed the rec room, most of his anger was already starting to melt away. Baito was clearly enjoying his role as disc jockey, Marie had drifted back to her seat on the couch, and even Waluigi seemed like he wasn't miserable and grouchy for once! He had nothing to worry about after all!

As the last strains of "That's Paradise" faded out, Bomberman stood up straight and tapped on a glass for attention. "Excuse me! Hello! We've got a great surprise tonight!"

"A surprise?" repeated Starfy. "I like surprises!"

"Well, then," chuckled Bomberman, "you're gonna love this one! Put your hands together for the comedy stylings of our very own _Sukapon!_"

Applause filled the room as the pink, limbless robot shuffled to the makeshift stage at the front. He appeared very nervous, adjusting his tie and mopping at his brow. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Howdy, everyone! How're we doin' tonight?"

"Hi, Mister Sukapon!" called Starfy from the crowd.

"Thank you, you're too kind," responded Sukapon. "Boy, that Chef Kawasaki, huh? Let's hear it for him." Some scattered applause went through the room. "Yeah, that's right. I heard he's teaming up with the folks at the Pokémon Day Care for a new low fat Pokémon… _Butterfree!_"

There was a long silence that lasted only a couple of seconds, but to a comedian like Sukapon, it may as well have lasted for hours. "Bu… butter free…" he repeated weakly.

At last, Starfy laughed, a genuine high-pitched laugh that only a child could produce. "Ahahaha! Butter free!" he said, clapping his hands.

Sukapon smiled. Okay, he made a kid laugh. Good start, good start! "And speaking of Pokémon," he continued, "just today, Mega Man was in a tough spot in his bout with Roy. Yeah, high damage 'n everything. And to make matters worse, Roy threw a Poké Ball with that red bug Pokémon in it!"

"Scizor!" called Starfy.

"But you know, he ended up alright. Yeah, that bug didn't even touch him. 'Cause y'know, rock beats Scizor."

More laughs, this time from Starfy, Bomberman, and Callie. Waluigi, however, was much less amused. "Booo!" he heckled. "Get better material!"

Better material, eh? Sukapon was in the zone now. "Come to think of it, couple weeks ago, we celebrated Dr. Emon's birthday. Oh, you know, nothing too fancy, just a simple party with a simple cake. I can still remember the look on his face as I handed him his fiftieth birthday card." Sukapon sighed wistfully. "He looks at me, single tear down his cheek, and you know what he says to me?"

Everyone leaned in.

"He looks at me, he looks at his fiftieth birthday card, and he says, 'Oh, Sukapon… _you only had to give me one!_'"

This time, there was a much stronger reaction, with Marie snorting into her drink while Wario cackled raucously. Sukapon paused to wait for the laughter to die down, then cleared his throat. "Actually, another thing. A couple days ago, a sandwich walked into a bar, and the bartender said, 'Sorry, we don't serve food in here.'"

The audience was silent. A cricket could be heard chirping from a corner.

Sukapon wiped at his forehead. "Gosh, is it solipsistic in here or is it just me?"

One person laughed. To everyone's mild surprise, Waluigi was doubled over in his chair, crowing with his signature nasal laughter. Indeed, it was the first time anyone had seen him properly enjoy himself.

Once he had calmed down, he glanced around at everyone staring at him. Knuckles in particular was looking at him as though he'd grown a second head. "What? It's a joke about solipsism! You don't know? The philosophical idea that only the self is guaranteed to exist! Thus, 'is it solipsistic or is it just me'!"

The room was dead quiet. Even the cricket had stopped.

"Wehh," muttered Waluigi with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I wouldn't expect you losers to understand, anyways."

"Hey, what's the difference between Waluigi and an I-block?" said Sukapon. "One is tall, skinny, and an underestimated part of this establishment, with a colorful personality to match… and the other is Waluigi!"

The entire room erupted into unrestrained boisterous laughter, with Marie spitting her drink all over Callie, Takamaru nearly falling out of his chair, and Knuckles pounding the floor with his fists, making the whole room shake. Waluigi was most unamused, crossing his arms and gritting his teeth. To his dismay, he found that Wario of all people was laughing the loudest of all! "Hey! What are you laughing at?!" he asked of his yellow-clad companion.

"He got you!" chortled Wario, wiping a tear from his eye. "He completely got you!"

Sukapon grinned as he took in the mirth. "Anyways, folks, you know the—"

"What's going on _here?_"

Everyone in the room turned to face the source of the voice. A cat, standing on two legs and wearing a yellow bandana was standing in the doorway.

"Umm… hello," waved Bomberman awkwardly. "You here for the Bomb Bash Bonanza?"

The cat sneered. "Is _that_ what it's called?" He looked disdainfully around the room. "So what is this, some kind of pity party?"

Bomberman suddenly felt a horrible weight in the pit of his stomach. _Oh, no. Not again_, he thought.

"Uhhhh… no," said Knuckles hesitantly, as though he knew that the cat would be trouble. "Bomberman put this together so that we could all—"

"So you could all _what?_" said the cat. "Get together and feel bad for yourselves?" He snatched a plastic cup off the table and scooped up a large helping of chips with it. "Because honestly, I don't blame you guys."

The previously merry mood had disappeared, leaving a tense air in its wake. Waluigi slowly stood up, scowl deepening. Off to the side, Bomberman prayed he wouldn't do anything stupid. "What do you mean by that?" asked the wiry man.

"Isn't it obvious?" smirked the cat, scooping up some dip with his snack. "You guys're the Assist Trophies. You're the Z-listers of this whole thing." He took a bite of his chip, then used that same chip to go for another dollop of dip. "Unlike _me,_ of course."

Waluigi glowered down at the cat, recognizing him from earlier that week. "Oh, _really?_" he snarled.

Already, the tension was running high, and Bomberman knew it. As Waluigi began to step closer, Bomberman quickly dashed in between them to keep them separate. "Wow, that's really interesting!" he interrupted in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Anyways, you're welcome to stay and—"

But to his surprise, the cat shoved the robot aside, sending him toppling to the floor. "Stay out of this, _has-been._ This is between me and the beanpole."

At this, Knuckles stood up. "What's your deal?!" he asked fiercely. "Who even are you, anyways?"

"Oh? You don't recognize me?" sneered the cat. "What, have you been living under a rock or something? Name's Morgana. But I wouldn't expect people like _you_ to know, anyways. It's okay. I'm _clearly_ out of your league."

Not even three minutes, and he was already challenging Waluigi for the title of most repulsive person in the room! Morgana went on. "I mean, let's be reasonable here. Our adventure is famous and _super_ influential. People have been saying it's one of the greatest RPGs of our time. Hell, look at how we get treated here. A new stage, a bunch of music—they had the band record _three_ different victory fanfares, y'know!—and even a bunch of costumes for those Mii guys! Yep, we sure got the VIP treatment! And _you_ guys…" His disparaging gaze passed from the crowd to the limbless robot at the front of the room. "Well, they call you guys rejects for a reason."

Bomberman sat up, glaring at the cat. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave," he said slowly and carefully.

"Yeah, the truth hurts, doesn't it, has-been?" said Morgana, rounding on Bomberman. "You're one of the oldest people here, right? Well, old-timer, let's be real here: there's a good reason they had you on as just an Assist Trophy. You just don't have the status, like _I_ do. You might've had some decent stuff like, twenty years ago, but have you really done anything important since then? I know you don't want to admit it, but—"

"You're wrong."

It was Baito, stepping out from behind his laptop. There was an uncharacteristically fiery look in his eyes. Morgana peered at the rabbit for a moment. "What did you say?" asked the cat.

"I said, you're _wrong,_" repeated Baito. "About Bomberman, and about everyone here. He's just as much a superstar as Mario or Link."

Morgana was still unimpressed. "Oh, so now the rabbit with the microtransactions is gonna preach to me. That wasn't even a real game!"

Baito was undeterred. "Maybe… but all the same, they still chose me to be an assistant for the fighters. I may not be a real Smasher, but I still have a place here!"

Morgana gave him a sardonic stare. "God, that was cheesy."

"But it's the truth." Bomberman now stood up, frowning at the cat before him. "For starters, lemme correct you by saying _yes,_ I _have_ been on a recent adventure. I had to save the galaxy from the Buggler Army—"

"A one-off revival," countered Morgana.

"And you know what? People loved it!" continued Bomberman. "And, sure, I would've loved to become a Smasher, but being an assistant is great, too! 'Cause I'm still here! I'm still a part of all this! This is more than just a tournament starring a bunch of heroes from all over, this is… this is a celebration of _legends._ And if I'm here—if _we're_ here," he said, gesturing to everyone in the room, "what does that make us?"

"Sorely mistaken," muttered Morgana with a roll of his eyes.

"_No!_" came a small voice. Starfy waddled out of the crowd, a determined frown on his face. He marched up to face Morgana directly. "It means we're all superstars, too!"

"Starfy's right," said Knuckles, coolly striding up to face the cat. "We might not have leading roles, but we are still an important part of this. Everyone contributes to make this place what it is."

Takamaru walked up beside the echidna. "And if you think you can come in here and tell us that we are somehow less deserving than anyone else, you are _sorely_ mistaken."

Starfy nodded. "Everyone here is a superstar! Like Mr. Sukapon!" A cheer went through the crowd as Sukapon bashfully adjusted his tie and waved.

"Mr. Baito!" Another cheer sounded as Baito posed proudly, clapping his ears together.

"Knuckles!" The echidna grinned and flexed his arms, making shadowboxing movements.

"Mr. Waluigi!" called Starfy. The man in question stepped forward, ready to absorb the praise that he so rightfully deserved.

Exactly three people cheered, namely Starfy, Callie and Wario. Waluigi huffed, clearly expecting more. "Hey, what gives?"

Morgana simply scoffed. "Well, if you ask me, you're all idiots for thinking you're actually important."

Starfy blinked. "But we didn't ask," he said innocently.

Wario, who had been quietly observing these events from the side, burst into laughter. "Wahahaha! He's startin' to take after me!" There was some scattered laughter.

Morgana bristled. "Y-yeah, well… _I'm_ the one that brought in the hype! At least _I_ got picked because _I_ have what it takes!"

"…You didn't," said Knuckles. "You're just part of that kid's Final Smash, aren't you?"

Morgana snarled at the echidna. "Better than being an Assist Trophy from some washed-out series that was never—"

Morgana was quickly interrupted by Knuckles' fist colliding with his face at high speeds, faster than anyone could react. He whizzed through the air and out of the room, nearly getting embedded into the wall outside.

Knuckles slammed the door shut. "Serves him right." There was now a profound, somewhat disconcerting silence.

"Well, anyways…" Baito slipped back behind the laptop and pressed a few keys on the keyboard. Music began to fill the air.

_Take off at the speed of sound,_

_Bright lights, colors all around,_

_I'm running wild, living fast and free,_

_Got no regrets inside of me…_

Bomberman observed the partygoers, laughing and making merry with each other. A feeling of great pride welled up deep in his chest. Look at everyone getting along so well! Even Waluigi seemed to be enjoying himself, laughing as Wario spilled punch on himself! Satisfied, he plopped down on the couch next to Marie.

"...It was a nice speech," said Marie after a pause.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks." Bomberman kicked his feet over the cushion.

"It really was," said Takamaru from behind the two. He sat down on the armrest, causing the couch under the newfound weight. "Truly inspiring. I'll admit that I didn't consider myself to be legendary at all, but after that…" He stared off into space. "It makes me want to fight ever further, if that makes sense."

Marie nodded. "That cat guy was a jerk. I know he said most of that stuff was cheesy, but it came from the heart. I can tell." She glanced at Callie, who was singing lyrics she only somewhat knew with Starfy. "Kinda refreshing, actually."

Bomberman smiled. "See, that's what I'm aiming for! I'm glad people are feeling a little better about this whole thing. And you know what? Next time we get summoned, we'll show 'em what we can really do! We'll _blow_ them out of the water!"

Nobody laughed.

Bomberman rubbed the back of his head. "O-or not…"

Marie pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, maybe leave the jokes to Sukapon."

The party went on, the assistants reveling into the wee hours of the morning.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: I've had this one on the backburner since October. Of course, I did have to change a few things since then...**_

_**I do like exploring the worldviews of these characters, but I also like just having them relax without the stresses of the tournament. I'm trying to achieve that balance.**_


	9. Take Care at the Pokémon Day Care!

"Good morning, assistants! Rise and shine!" came the voice of Dr. Wright.

Slowly, the assistants dragged themselves out of their beds and plodded into the lounge. The day before had been a marathon of matches, riddled with an assortment of bizarre rules and an oddly high frequency of items. The Assist Trophy in particular was one of the more common items, and for reasons no one could quite explain, when it appeared in a match, the fighters seemed drawn to it like kittens to a fresh ball of yarn. Needless to say, the assistants were positively drained.

"Ahh, _jeez,_" grunted Knuckles, scratching at his cheek. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really hope I don't get summoned today. Last night had me exhausted!"

"Speak for yourself," replied Guile, combing his flattop hair. "Getting summoned provides both a hands-on experience of a battle and excellent exercise."

"Exercise?" countered Knuckles. "All you do is sit in one spot and use that backflip kick thing!"

"It's called a _Flash Kick,_ and it's _still_ good exercise!" retorted Guile. His eyebrows were furrowed, but he was clearly in good humor. "You, of all people, could do with a little more muscle."

"Hey, come on, now!" grinned Knuckles. "You're a human and I'm an echidna. This is just how we're built!"

"Knuckles!" called Dr. Wright. "I have an important job for you."

"Huh? An important job, huh?" The echidna loped up to the tall-haired man. "Whatcha need?"

"You and…" Dr. Wright tapped his clipboard. "…two others will be assisting the caretakers in the Pokémon Day Care."

On cue, Tiki appeared in a flash of light and smoke, making Knuckles jump and clear the air in front of his face, coughing as he did so. Dr. Wright, on the other hand, was less impressed, not even flinching or looking up from his clipboard. "Yes, thank you for the theatrics, Tiki."

Knuckles, still a bit thrown from said theatrics, waved awkwardly at her. "Yo," he muttered.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" asked Tiki.

"Pfft. Me? Startled? Well, thank you for the concern, but I don't get startled easily," said Knuckles, puffing out his chest. "Now, let's get going and feed some Pokémon!"

"_Just_ a minute," said Dr. Wright before Knuckles could even take a step. "I said you would be assisted by _two_ other people. The second has yet to arrive."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense." said Tiki. "Who is it?"

"Oh, I think you'll know who it is very soon," said Dr. Wright cryptically.

"…It's not that Goroh guy, is it?" asked Knuckles tentatively. "'Cause honestly, that guy just feels like a _total_ sleazebag. Then again, I'd rather have him around than that Dr. Wily guy, 'cause he's cut from the same cloth as Eggman if you ask me—"

"_Waaah!_"

"Oh, of _course._"

Waluigi, scowl as unpleasant as ever, stomped nearer. He grimaced down at the echidna. "You're my assistant, eh? Wehh. They always stick me with-a the _losers._ Welp!" He snapped his fingers and marched forward. "Let's get-a moving, lackeys!" He turned and strode out of the room, head held haughtily high.

Tiki gave Dr. Wright an unamused frown. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Dr. Wright simply shrugged, but Tiki noticed an odd glimmer in his eye as he adjusted his glasses. "Call it an unhappy accident. If nothing else, I trust you and Knuckles to put up with him for this. Well, have fun!"

"Pfft. '_Have fun_', he says," grumbled Knuckles. "Alright, let's get this over with." He and Tiki followed the lanky man out the door and down the hallway.

Once they were out of earshot, Dr. Wright sighed to himself. "Finally. He's out of my hair for at least a few hours."

And so, Dr. Wright sat in a nearby chair, looking forward to enjoying a Waluigi-free morning.

* * *

The party of Waluigi, Tiki, and Knuckles as they trekked towards the Day Care resembled a parade, with Waluigi as the grand marshal, and the echidna bringing up the rear. If there was an audience present, they would have been inclined to think that it was a pretty tacky parade.

As they walked, a small, yellow mouse-like creature popped out from behind a corner and walked towards them. Tiki immediately recognized it as the Pokémon Pichu. "Hello, Pichu!" she said, waving at it.

Pichu paused, its ears twitching. When it made eye contact with the manakete, it smiled and offered a friendly wave of its own.

The moment Waluigi was close enough, he stuck out one of his long legs to kick the Pokémon, sending it flying with a pitiful squeal that sounded much like a deflating balloon.

Knuckles was appalled. "Dude, what the heck?!"

"Waaah!" squawked Waluigi. "They invited that dumb mouse over Waluigi! Cheater…"

An irate Knuckles moved in to slug him, but Tiki stopped him. "Not now," she whispered. "You and I both know that both Master Hand _and_ Dr. Wright would have your head if you started anything _this_ early."

Defeated, Knuckles could only cross his arms and huff. "Another classic Waluigi dirtbag moment. What a surprise," he grumbled.

"Bold words from the animal that eats worms," shot Waluigi over his shoulder.

Tiki rolled her eyes as Knuckles flared his nostrils. "I take it you two are familiar with each other," said Tiki.

"Unfortunately," confirmed Knuckles. "I met him at the Olympics, with Mario and the rest of his friends. He is quite possibly the _most annoying_ person I have ever met. Sometimes I feel like going up to Mario and asking, 'How are you able to put up with him for so long?'"

"How indeed," murmured Tiki. "At any rate, we're here."

The entrance to the Day Care was simple but distinct, with an image of Pikachu balancing on a Poké Ball above the glass doors. A young woman with pink hair was standing at the entrance, laptop by her side. "Good morning!" she greeted. "Welcome to the Pokémon Day Care!"

"Good morning!" replied Tiki in turn. "We're here to tend to the Pokémon today!"

The pink-haired woman smiled. "Okay! Before you go in, take these!" She crouched down behind her desk and reemerged with three futuristic-looking devices, which she handed to the three. Seeing the confusion on their faces, she explained, "This is a Pokédex. It will allow you to analyze each Pokémon to see what kind of care it might need." She poked at her keyboard for a few moments, and a small chime rang out. The glass doors slid open. "There you go! Have a great time!"

The Day Care was a large field that stretched out far into the distance, surrounded by a fence. It was very, very wide and very, very green. There was a mid-sized lake further in and to the side, its waters still and unmoving. Pokémon ran and frolicked on the ground and flew above their heads. One such creature, a small brown mammal, hopped up to the trio and chirped as if to say hello.

Tiki's calm and graceful demeanor immediately melted away at the sight of the creature. She picked it up and began to stroke its soft fur. "_Ohhh_, look at it!" she squealed. "It's so precious!"

Knuckles swiped through his Pokédex. Apparently, this Pokémon was called an Eevee, and its genetic makeup allowed it access to many evolutions. The echidna cracked a grin as he watched Tiki play with it. It was, in fact, quite precious.

"Yeah, Eevee's a pretty popular one, even back home," came an unfamiliar voice.

The trio turned to face the speaker. Standing in front of them were two humans, a man and a woman, that looked to be in their early twenties. They were dressed very similarly, both wearing identical red aprons and bandanas on their heads. The woman waved at them. "Hi. You must be today's assistants, right?"

"Oh, yes." said Tiki, waving at them. The Eevee leapt out of her arms and trotted towards the woman. "My name is Tiki, and these are Knuckles and Waluigi."

"Okay!" The woman seemed more put off with Waluigi's countenance than the manakete and echidna. She extended her hand, which Tiki took. "My name is Lydia. I'm a Pokémon breeder from Hoenn. Nice to meet you!"

"And nice to meet you, as well," responded Tiki. Behind them, the man introduced himself as Myles, also from Hoenn.

Once introductions had ended, Lydia stood up a little straighter. "Okay," she began, "your job is pretty easy, actually. We've already given the Pokémon their breakfast, so you guys get to help with the fun part!" She produced a set of three aprons, identical to the one she and Myles wore. "You guys get to help with check-ins!"

"Check-ins?" repeated Waluigi. "What, are we doctors now?"

"No, no, it's not like _that,_" said Myles. "Basically, you just walk up to them to check in on them. Y'know, ask them how they're doing and stuff. Pokémon need socialization outside of a battle context, too!"

"So we're just playing with them?" asked Knuckles.

"Pretty much, yeah!" nodded Lydia. "Here, lemme show you. Follow me." She and the others walked over to another pen where another Pokémon was dozing. This one had a pale yellow coat, and large tufts of orange fur in its ears. When the group came closer, it hopped up and darted towards them, ears twitching.

"Hel-_looo!_" cooed Lydia, beckoning the Pokémon to come closer. It did so, yipping excitedly, rubbing its head against her chin.

"Oh, I think I recognize this one!" said Tiki. "This one is Fennekin, right?"

Lydia nodded in confirmation. "It's a starter Pokémon from the Kalos region," she explained, scratching the Fennekin behind its ears. "It can vent hot air from its ears." She lifted the creature to her face. "Gosh, you make me wanna move to Kalos, you're so cute! Yes, you are! _Yes, you are!_"

The Fennekin purred and pawed at her face. Out of the corner of his eye, Knuckles could see Tiki practically melting at the sight.

Lydia stood up, taking out a Pokédex of her own to scan the Pokémon. "It doesn't look like Fennekin is in need of anything right now, so I think we can leave it alone for now." She put her Pokédex away. "Come on and we'll show you the others!"

After placing Fennekin back in its pen, Lydia and Myles guided the trio around the Day Care, introducing them to the other Pokémon as they toured. Some of the creatures were friendlier than others; while the bird Pokémon Fletchling flew over and landed on Tiki's head with a greeting chirp, Abra was much less outgoing, teleporting away the moment the group approached in spite of their best efforts.

"Oh, way to go, Waluigi," said Knuckles. "You scared it off."

"Me?!" snapped Waluigi. "I was as quiet as a mouse! If anything, it was _you_ stomping around that scared it away!"

"Hey, you know, this is normal," said Lydia. "Abra are just shy by nature. They're psychic types; they can read minds and teleport away from danger."

"Ohh, I see now," said Tiki. "It read Waluigi's mind and decided it didn't want anything to do with him."

Waluigi rounded on the manakete. But to Waluigi's dismay, Lydia and Myles nodded in agreement. "Most likely, it read someone's mind and deemed them a threat," suggested Lydia, glancing sideways at the lanky man.

"Waahh?! Are you saying I'm a threat?" asked Waluigi.

"Well, not to _me,_" replied Tiki.

"Maybe to Abra," chimed in Knuckles.

"I mean, you are pretty… _off-putting_," said Myles in a gentle tone.

"Not to mention annoying, from what I've heard," added Lydia.

"And abrasive," put in Tiki.

"Not to mention stuck-up," chimed Knuckles.

"And rude—"

"A little pompous, too—"

"_Incredibly_ callous—"

"Alright, I get it!" squawked Waluigi. "Pearls before swine…"

For the next fifteen minutes, the rest of the Day Care excursion went off without a hitch. However, as they were tending to a green Pokémon with red flowers on its head, a beeping sound rang from Lydia's pocket. She took out a futuristic-looking device, pushed a button on it, and began to speak into it.

"Hello? …Yeah, I'm at the Day Care. Whaddya need? …Oh, _no!_ The poor thing! …Yeah, we'll be right over! …Okay, bye." She closed the device and rushed over to Myles to relay the new information. From where Knuckles was standing, he could clearly see Myles frown.

"Okay, guys, we got bad news," said Lydia, "You know little Pichu, the fighter? Apparently, it got injured when it just… fell out of nowhere and landed in a crate of explosives! We have to go and make sure it's okay!"

Both Tiki and Knuckles looked horrified, but their alarm quickly turned into cold anger as they put two and two together. "I can only wonder how that happened…" grumbled the manakete.

"Yeah, from what Lydia said, the little guy's in real bad shape," said Myles, not picking up on the mood. He plucked out a Poké Ball from his apron and threw it. When it opened, a bizarre, sauropod-like creature with leaves on its back burst forth with a roar. Both caretakers hopped on the creature's back. "You three can deal with the rest of the Pokémon, right?" said Lydia.

"Yes, of course," replied Tiki. "I'm certain we can take care of them in your stead." Behind her, Knuckles nodded in concurrence.

Lydia hesitated. "…I know you guys are capable, but I still gotta warn you. Some of the Pokémon here are pretty temperamental. They're wild creatures. Please," she said, pointedly glancing at Waluigi, "just don't be stupid." And with that final warning, the flying sauropod took off, creating a gust of wind that nearly knocked some of the smaller Pokémon over.

Once Lydia and Myles were out of sight, Knuckles immediately rounded on Waluigi. "Are you proud of yourself?" he snarled.

Waluigi simply crossed his arms. "That little so-and-so had it coming. Thinks it can outshine Waluigi, eh? Waaah…"

Knuckles gave Tiki a look that was an equal blend of angry, exasperated and pleading. "Can I punch him? Like, just _once?_"

Tiki looked just as furious as the echidna, but kept her voice firm, yet calm. "No," she said simply.

"Why _not?!_" insisted Knuckles. "Just _one_ little hit! He's _asking_ for it!"

"Not right now."

"One teeny, tiny little punch, right in his jaw, where he needs it. Hard enough to shut him up, but soft enough so he doesn't get hurt too much—"

Tiki sighed. "As much as I'd like to kick his teeth in," she whispered, "now isn't the time. Especially not in front of the Pokémon."

Knuckles paused, then responded with an angry kick at the ground, scattering dirt and pebbles. "Fine. Whatever." He turned to face the lanky man. "Okay, here's the plan. Waluigi, you go and deal with those Pokémon over there, while Tiki and I take on this side. Sound fair?"

"Fine," sneered Waluigi. "I don't need you two getting in my way, anyhow." He stomped off, Pokédex in hand. Knuckles did the same, turning and walking in the opposite direction.

_Finally, some peace,_ thought the echidna. _The less nuisances I have to put up with, the better._

As if reading his mind, Tiki spoke up. "Do you really think it's a good idea, leaving Waluigi alone with the Pokémon?" she asked.

"They're not _helpless_, Tiki," replied Knuckles with a wave of his hand. "The Pokémon are more than capable of defending themselves. I mean, they've got ones like, uh, alien-looking starfish and fire lions and ghost chandeliers. Who knows, back in their world, they've probably got, like, big fleas that know karate! They'll be fine."

Tiki pursed her lips. "Let me rephrase that. I didn't mean he'd try to hurt them. I meant that he might be viciously attacked by superpowered wild animals."

Knuckles stopped in his tracks. "Oh." He thought about this for a moment, then shrugged. "Eh, he'll probably be fine. He's taken worse hits, and if anything too crazy happens, I can probably get there fast enough. And speaking of superpowered wild animals!" He walked up to a pen and carefully stepped over the fence. "Alright, little guys, who's first?"

A brown Pokémon with a spiky green shell on its back stepped forward. Knuckles took out his Pokédex and pointed it at the creature.

_Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. This Grass-type Pokémon's shell can protect it from powerful attacks. The quills on its head are usually soft, but can be stiffened for attack as well._

It stared up at him with inquisitive eyes. Knuckles couldn't help but smile at just how cute it was. He knelt down to stroke its head, and it leaned into the touch, chirruping softly as it rubbed its head into the echidna's palm.

Knuckles nearly squealed in delight, but quickly caught himself before any sound came out. Heaven forbid Waluigi or Tiki should hear that, or worse, if _Sonic _should have stopped by! He had a reputation to uphold, and that hedgehog would never let him hear the end of it! Why, he'd probably—

_Splash!_

"_Ackpth!_"

Knuckles' thoughts were interrupted by a sudden blast of water at the back of his head, completely soaking him. He yelped and spluttered in surprise, nearly toppling over and smacking into the grass. Chespin squeaked and ran away.

"Bwuh—_who—?!_" He whirled around to see Tiki, looking like she was trying her hardest not to laugh. In her arms was a small otter holding a seashell. Based on the look the otter was giving him, it was clear to Knuckles who the culprit was.

"Sorry, Knuckles," said Tiki, still stifling a giggle. "I tried to stop it. But just _look_ at it!" she squealed, letting the otter flop out of her arms and toddle up to the echidna. "Look at how cute it is!"

Knuckles had to admit, the otter was pretty cute, staring at him with those eyes. It was very difficult for him to stay annoyed with it for too long. "Alright," he said with a sigh. "I guess I can—"

His words were quickly interrupted by something, or someone tugging at his tail. It was Chespin, slightly soggy and gazing up at the echidna with pleading eyes. It had clearly been enjoying Knuckles' attention before the otter had sprayed it.

"Aw, look! I think it likes you!" giggled Tiki.

Knuckles sighed good-naturedly as he picked up Chespin. It chattered with delight as it climbed up onto his shoulder. "Which one is that?" he asked.

"This little guy is called Oshawott," replied Tiki, scratching the Pokémon behind its ears. "It's from the Unova region. The seashell it carries is called a scalchop, which it uses to break open berries. Look at how _precious_ it is!" She cuddled it much like a child would cuddle a teddy bear. Oshawott made no protest towards the gesture.

Knuckles gave a small laugh. "Yeah, these guys are just like the Chao back home," he agreed.

Tiki blinked. "Chao…? What is a 'Chao'?"

"Huh? Oh!" Knuckles' eyes widened in realization. Of course she wouldn't know what a Chao was! "A Chao! They're like these, uh…" He snapped his fingers, trying to find the right words. "Little blue… sprite things from my world. They're _kinda_ like the Pokémon here, except not… really. There were these places, they called 'em Chao Gardens, where you could raise them. You gotta take care of 'em so that they can evolve. When that happens, they go into these cocoons, and they evolve into either dark, hero or neutral Chao. Umm… I feel like Tails or Amy would be better at explaining it."

"No, no, that's fine! I think I get it now!" said Tiki encouragingly. She got up. "From what I can tell, these two only needed proper social interaction. I think we can move on now."

As the two assistants stepped out of the pen, a familiar nasal voice sounded in the distance. Tiki and Knuckles paused, exchanged a glance, and sighed as they rushed towards the source, knowing full well what was probably going on.

"_Waaah!_ Come on, you stupid bug!"

Waluigi tapped his foot as he loomed over the Pokémon. A small insect with a cloak of white fur stared impassively back up at him.

Tiki and Knuckles arrived at the scene. A quick scan with the former's Pokédex told them that Waluigi was taking care of Spewpa, a bug type Pokémon. "Having trouble, are you?" asked the manakete.

"Waaah! I don't need your help!" replied the lanky man. "All it is is just taking care of them, right? That's what I'm doing!" He reached down to pet Spewpa, but it shuffled away.

"Have you tried being a bit… gentler?" asked Tiki without any sarcasm.

"Wehhh…" Waluigi crouched down to Spewpa so as to be at eye level. "Nice bug thing…" he muttered.

_Poof!_

A cloud of thick, pale yellow powder erupted from the Pokémon, enveloping Waluigi's face. He coughed and hacked as he fell over backward, while Knuckles and Tiki stepped back to stay out of the blast range.

"Whoa!" cried Knuckles. Beside him, Tiki cleared the air in front of her. "What was _that?!_"

"That was—_ahem!_—that was a Stun Spore attack," clarified Tiki. "Spewpa will use that when they feel threatened." She gave the lanky man a pointed look.

Waluigi slowly got up. "Oh, _sure,_ blame Waluigi because this… _thing_ tried to attack me for no reason!" He glared at Spewpa, which continued to stare blankly at him.

Tiki rolled her eyes. "Obviously, you have a lot to learn about dealing with Pokémon." Behind her, Knuckles nodded. "Looks like we'll have to stick by you so you get it right," she continued.

Knuckles stopped nodding. "What?"

Waluigi scowled and folded his arms. "Oh, _great._ Now I've gotta babysit Little Miss _Anime_ and some red mutt."

"Excuse me? _Red mutt_?!" growled Knuckles. He moved in closer, fists raised, but Tiki stopped him.

"No one is _babysitting_ anyone," clarified Tiki. "This is a team effort. Am I clear? Knuckles? Waluigi?" She glanced between the two.

"Hmph! Since when do you play mediator?" retorted Waluigi.

"I wouldn't _have_ to play mediator if _some people_ were willing to cooperate for once," Tiki shot back. "Now, are we going to do this as a team or what?" She stepped back so that she, Knuckles, and Waluigi were arranged in a circle surrounding Spewpa, and put her hand in the middle.

After a few seconds, Knuckles did the same, placing his gloved hand over Tiki's. "I'm willing to play ball if you are," he said.

Only Waluigi remained. He stood there for a long time, scowling and crossing his arms. "C'mon, Wally, just suck it up already," said Knuckles. Spewpa stared vacantly up at the lanky man.

At last, Waluigi relented. "Fine," he muttered, putting his hand in the middle.

"Good," said Tiki, withdrawing her hand. "Now, which Pokémon are we going for next?"

"Um…" Knuckles swiped through his Pokédex. "What about this one? 'Gogoat'? Let's look for that one."

The trio set out, tending to the other Pokémon they encountered along the way. They briefly spoke with a Pokémon called Dedenne, who warmed up to Tiki almost immediately. They observed Meowth, who simply lazed about in the sun. They approached Snorlax, who paid them no mind, as it was fast asleep.

At last, they found Gogoat, calmly grazing by itself in the middle of the field. It eyed the trio as they slowly approached it, but otherwise paid them no mind.

Tiki took out her Pokédex. "Apparently, this 'Gogoat' is a popular mount in its home world, and it can sense its rider's emotions through its horns." She tentatively stuck out her hand in offering. Gogoat trotted up to it and sniffed. After a moment, it allowed her to pet it, gently pressing its nose into her palm. The manakete giggled as she moved to pet its bushy, leafy mane. "You're a tranquil fellow, aren't you?"

Off to the side, Knuckles and Waluigi quietly observed the scene. The echidna side-eyed the lanky man, still wary that he might try something. Likewise, Waluigi grimaced down at Knuckles as though he were some kind of horrid bug.

Knuckles cleared his throat. "So," he began.

Waluigi's eyes narrowed. "So, what?" he replied.

"So…" Knuckles scratched his cheek. "Tiki said you can… you can ride Gogoat, where it's from."

"Wow. _Nothing_ gets by you, does it?" Waluigi's lip curled.

"I'm just saying!" retorted Knuckles. His voice was clipped and tense. "With the way its horns're shaped, I figure it'd be kinda like riding a motorcycle."

An odd sort of smile played on Waluigi's features. "What would _you_ know about riding a motorbike?"

"Hey, hey, I've ridden one once!" said Knuckles, going on the defensive. "I… I had to borrow Shadow's."

"Pffhaa!" guffawed the lanky man. "Of _course_ you did!" He wiped a tear from his eye as Knuckles fumed. "Waah. It's probably for the best. A squirt like you, you couldn't handle a _real_ bike."

"_Excuse_ me?!" Now Knuckles was riled up! How dare he trash talk him like that?! He was saying he couldn't handle a motorbike? Yeah, 'cause Waluigi was _such_ an accomplished biker! ...Okay, technically, he _was_, but still, how _dare_ he?! Knuckles stared at the Gogoat, which was still being stroked by Tiki. Couldn't handle a real bike, eh? Well, he'd show him!

"Hey, Tiki, can I handle it for a second?" asked Knuckles.

Tiki looked up. "Oh, do you want to pet it, too?"

"Something like that."

Knuckles marched up to the Gogoat, who backed away a bit while regarding him closely. He extended his hand to its face as Tiki had earlier. It took a few steps forward and snuffled at his glove for a long time before it allowed the echidna to stroke its head and mane.

In one fluid motion, Knuckles stopped petting it and climbed up on the Gogoat's back. He gripped its horns as if they were handlebars. "Alright, let's go!" he declared.

No sooner did his hands grip its horns than it bucked him off, sending him flying a surprising distance into the lake. The resulting splash shot a tall pillar of water into the air, sending some of the smaller Pokémon fleeing.

"Knuckles!" cried Tiki. "Are you all right?" Behind her, Waluigi burst into hearty chortling at the echidna's misfortune.

Out popped Knuckles, sputtering and coughing up water as he dragged himself to the lake's shore. As he lay on the ground taking fresh air into his lungs, a fish Pokémon poked its head out of the water to see what all the commotion was about.

"What're _you_ lookin' at?" wheezed Knuckles.

The fish simply shot him a wry look before diving back underwater. Knuckles stood up and shook himself dry, convulsing as he forced some extra droplets of water from his lungs.

Tiki came running up, with Waluigi moseying along behind. "Knuckles, are you okay?" asked the manakete, worry written all over her face.

"I'm—ge-_haaa!_" He coughed again, but no water came out. "I'm fine. I've been through worse."

"Waaa-hahahaha!" cackled Waluigi, slapping his knee. "You shoulda seen how far you went!"

"_Not funny_, Waluigi," scolded Tiki. "He could've gotten hurt!"

"I'm _fine,_" maintained Knuckles. "Why'd it even throw me off, anyhow?"

Tiki paused. "Well, the Pokédex did say it can sense emotions through its horns… Did you touch its horns, Knuckles?"

"Yeah, it's sorta like riding a—" Knuckles stopped talking as his eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

Tiki took a deep breath. "…Knuckles, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but… you can be a little—"

"What she's _saying,_" interrupted Waluigi, using Knuckles' head as an armrest, "is that you're too much of a hothead to ride it. It probably read your mind and decided that you were a threat."

"Oh, really?" growled Knuckles. "Now _I'm_ the threat?"

"Yes, that's what I just said, knucklehead," said Waluigi dryly. "But luckily for you, Waluigi is here to teach you the fine art of animal care." He puffed out his chest and twirled his mustache to accentuate his point.

Both Tiki and Knuckles looked quite unimpressed. "Is that so?" asked Tiki.

"But of course!" declared Waluigi. "They don't call me the ace animal tamer for nothing!"

"No one calls you that."

Waluigi paid them no mind as he sauntered over to the gogoat. "Watch and learn, losers!" he declared.

The moment Waluigi moved to grip its horns, Gogoat charged the man, headbutting him and sending him sprawling onto the ground. It then huffed and trotted away.

Tiki burst into bright, hearty laughter, while Knuckles was bent double in mirth. Waluigi quickly stood up and dusted himself off in an effort to save face. "And _that_ is what happens when you're not careful around such a dangerous creature!" he declared.

Neither Tiki nor Waluigi seemed convinced. "At any rate," said Tiki, "we really should be getting a move on."

After saying goodbye to the gogoat, the trio moved on to the next pen. The sun was a little higher in the sky now, and the Pokémon were becoming more active. Even Snorlax had rolled over in its dozing to face away from the rays of sunshine beaming down on it.

Once they reached the pen, an assortment of Pokémon raced up to the fence and pawed at the wooden rails. The assistants could see two foxes that looked almost identical save for their coloration, a bizarre-looking creature with a massive metal cross on its head, a blue squid with lights on its mantle, a lavender blob, a black and pink bear that stood on two legs, a strange entity that looked a lot like Pikachu, and a shadowy, otherworldly creature with white fog billowing from its head.

"_Arf arf!_"

...And a huge metal ball with razor-sharp teeth was also present, its chain trailing behind it as it barreled towards the fence at high speed.

"Oh, _—_"

Waluigi dove out of the way, with the Pokémon at the fence following suit. Tiki and Knuckles, however, vaulted over the fence and stood directly in its path. "Oh no, you don't!" bellowed Tiki as something began to glow in her hands.

There was a brilliant flash of light and a gust of wind as the Chain Chomp stopped in its tracks, mere inches from the fence. Slowly, it backed away and bowed its head.

Knuckles, who was fully prepared to punch the Chain Chomp if the situation called for it, let go of a breath he was holding. He turned to the manakete. "Nice job, Tiki, but how did you manage to stoooo_uhhhh—?!_"

Knuckles's eyes grew wide and his jaw went slack as he processed exactly what he was looking at. Where the humanoid Tiki had once stood was now a massive dragon with glowing red eyes, covered in snow-white scales that caught the sunlight and reflected it outward, making her glow. It growled softly at the Pokémon, who all backed away slowly.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and Tiki in her more familiar form touched down lightly on the grass. Knuckles and Waluigi stood there, mouths agape.

"…_Oh!_ I'm sorry! Did I startle you?" asked Tiki for the second time that day.

Knuckles' mouth opened, closed, and opened again, like a Goldeen gasping for air. "Wh—what was _that?!_" he managed at last.

"What do you mean, 'what was that'?" said Waluigi, getting up and dusting himself off. "She turned into a dragon. In case you haven't noticed, that's a thing she does. If anything, we should be asking what that Chain Chomp is doing here!"

The Chain Chomp, hearing its name, charged at Waluigi, but at a slower pace than earlier. The lanky man squawked in alarm, fell backwards, and put up his arms in a defensive position. But just before it made impact, it stopped a finger's length in front of him, just as it had when Tiki had stopped it.

Tentatively, gingerly, Waluigi opened his eyes. The Chain Chomp stared back, eyeing him in the way only it could. Then, without a sound, it leaned forward and gently plucked Waluigi's tennis racket out of his pocket, seizing it in its teeth. It promptly turned around and sped off, loudly barking—or was it laughing?—as it did so.

"W-_waaah?!_" The theft quickly snapped him out of his shock. "Hey! Give that back!" He scrambled to his feet and gave chase, hollering and crowing all the way.

As Waluigi tried in vain to retrieve his tennis racket, Tiki and Knuckles got to work tending to the other Pokémon. The two foxes walked up first, the one with reddish-brown fur moving towards Knuckles, while the white one chose Tiki as its caretaker.

Tiki gently scratched behind the fox's ears with one hand and scanned it with her Pokédex with the other. "This Pokémon is called a Vulpix, and it comes in two forms. Knuckles, yours is the Kantonian form, while this little cutie is the Alolan form!"

Knuckles nodded as he scratched his Vulpix. "So is it like, the way you treat makes it look different, or is it a regional thing?"

"Regional thing," affirmed Tiki, watching the Alolan Vulpix scurry off to play with the other Pokémon. "It's not just the color, either; the Kantonian Vulpix is fire type, while the Alolan Vulpix is ice type."

"Oh, really?" asked Knuckles, scooting over to read from Tiki's Pokédex.

Tiki nodded. "If you look closely, you can also see that the Kantonian Vulpix's head is a bit smaller than their Alolan relatives." With two fingers, Tiki zoomed in on the Pokédex's screen to compare both models. "By contrast, the Alolan Vulpix—apparently older people call it Keokeo—has a larger head and eyes."

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "Huh! Never woulda noticed that." A thought suddenly came to him. "Hold up. This Alola place, it's a tropical island chain, right? So if it's in a tropical area, why is it ice type?"

"Hmmm…" Tiki scrolled down on her Pokédex. "Apparently, it adapted its biology to live on snowy mountains."

"Oh, yeah?" The echidna was fully intrigued now. "What else does that Pokédex say?"

As Knuckles and Tiki perused the database, Waluigi had finally managed to retrieve his tennis racket from the jaws of the Chain Chomp. It was a brave struggle, and the metallic beast had put up a good fight, but Waluigi managed to fool it by throwing a stick for it to chase. Now, with his mustache frayed and his clothes in tatters, he could finally get around to taking care of the Pokémon! …Provided they didn't maul him, of course.

He strode up to the first Pokémon he saw, an odd-looking creature that bore a close resemblance to Pikachu. _Perfect_, he thought to himself. _One of Pikachu's weird cousins_ _should be easy to handle._

Waluigi crouched down to meet its eyes. As he did, he noticed quite a few things about his new charge. What he thought was fur was actually some kind of fabric. And the alleged Pikachu's eyes were drawn on the cloth with crayons! And it's tail wasn't a tail at all! It was just an oddly shaped stick!

"Waah? What's going on here?" Waluigi took out his Pokédex to scan this mystery creature.

_Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokémon. Mimikyu is a lonely Pokémon that wears a ragged cloth to protect itself from the sun. It models its disguise after Pikachu because of the popularity of Pikachu-themed merchandise, thinking that the disguise will make it popular as well. Its true form remains unknown._

Waluigi stared down at Mimikyu, which stared blankly back up at him. "So, you want to be popular, too, eh?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Mimikyu gave no response.

Waluigi sat down next to the Pokémon. "Yeah, I know what that's like," he mumbled, pulling his purple hat down over his eyes. "That Pikachu upstages everyone. It even upstages Waluigi. Lousy cheater…" The two sat in silence, watching the other Pokémon prance around the field.

"Weeh. Look at us," continued Waluigi, twirling his mustache. "Always sitting in the shadows of some other loser. Sometimes, I look at those Mario brothers, and that second-rate racer guy, and even Daisy, and I think to myself, 'That oughta be me up there, running around in the spotlight. All I've gotta do is wait.'" He crossed his arms and huffed. "I've been waiting for a good while now.

"But let me tell you," he continued. "All this waiting around hasn't done a thing! Time and time again I've been put on the backburner, because I'm 'not important' or 'too unoriginal'! How can they say that when they invite more and more of those sword-wielding nobodies every time?" He pulled his hat over his eyes again. "There is no justice in this world…"

Mimikyu said nothing. Instead, a long black limb stretched out from underneath the rag and patted Waluigi's knee in a consoling gesture.

The lanky man glanced down at Mimikyu, his gaze uncharacteristically sympathetic. "People like us—the secondary, ignored characters—gotta stick together, you know."

Back near the rest of the Pokémon, Knuckles and Tiki had finished looking through the Pokédex. Tiki seemed interested in one particular creature. "That Pokémon, the shadowy thing… what is that?"

Knuckles swiped through his Pokédex. "It says here it's called Darkrai." Both of them read the entry.

_Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. It is active during nights of the new moon. It chases intruders from its territory by lulling them to sleep and afflicting them with unending nightmares._

Knuckles shuddered. "_Guhhh…_ Imagine being stuck in a nightmare forever. Just being trapped with your biggest fear…" He shook his head. "I can't imagine what that's like."

Tiki's face had suddenly gone very pale. "Y-yes, I suppose."

The change in demeanor did not go unnoticed. "Um… you okay?" asked the echidna.

"I'm…" Tiki paused and took a breath to gather her thoughts. "Have I ever told you about my childhood, Knuckles?"

Knuckles shook his head. Behind them, more Pokémon scurried around in the tall grass.

Tiki took another breath. "As you probably heard at orientation, I am a manakete belonging to the divine dragons. Many millennia ago, dragonkind faced extinction. Our only hope was to seal our true forms into these dragonstones—" She held up her own to show Knuckles— "and take on the forms of humans. Those of us that didn't… they lost their minds and deteriorated into madness. Degeneration, they called it."

"That's how you turned into that dragon earlier," Knuckles realized out loud.

Tiki nodded. "…Much of my youth was spent asleep," explained the manakete. "Before my mother died, she placed me into a deep sleep, fearing that should my power go unchecked, I would go mad and eventually degenerate." Knuckles opened his mouth as if to say something, but decided against it.

"During that time, I was cared for by two others of my kind: Gotoh and Ban-Ba—ah, Bantu. I would only ever awaken either to eat, or…" Tiki hesitated. "Or if I had a nightmare."

"Nightmares, huh…" Knuckles' gaze fell to the ground. "…What kind of nightmares?"

Tiki turned to look at the echidna, her face still and unreadable. "Hmmm?"

"O-_Oh!_" said Knuckles, slapping his forehead. "I-I'm sorry, that was… that was really invasive."

Tiki smiled. "Oh, not at all!" she reassured. Her face turned somber yet again as she stared at the grass. "Most of my nightmares had the same scenario. I would deteriorate and lose my sense of self. Then I would attack human villages and…"

The remainder of Tiki's description was left unsaid, but it hung in the air like a cold, cold fog. Tiki pointed at Darkrai, which was calmly observing them from a distance. "That Pokémon, Darkrai… it reminds me all too much of my youth spent in slumber. So forgive me if I'm a little unnerved." There was a long silence as they watched the Pokémon frolic amongst themselves.

"Hey, you know, that's fine," said Knuckles, eager to change the subject. "Let's… let's look at some of the other Pokémon. Like, uh… _ooh!_ What about this one?"

Tiki scrolled through her Pokédex. "Oh, that one is called Genesect. It's an insect Pokémon that existed three hundred million years ago." Her brow furrowed. "Who is… Team Plasma?"

Knuckles tilted his head in confusion. "Team Plasma?" he repeated. "Lemme take a look." He and the manakete read the rest of the entry.

_Genesect, the Paleozoic Pokémon. Over 300 million years ago, it was feared as the strongest of hunters. It has been modified by Team Plasma, who attached the cannon to its back._

Knuckles frowned as he read the last sentence. "Modified, eh? I dunno who this 'Team Plasma' is, but they're givin' me a bad vibe. This kinda stuff is right up Eggman's alley."

Tiki rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I take it you're not terribly fond of this 'Eggman' fellow, then?"

The echidna sighed deeply. "Oh, you don't know the half of it, Tiki. He's always trying to take over the world with his army of robots and create his 'Eggman Empire'."

"A cruel tyrant who seeks to conquer the world…" murmured Tiki, gazing into the distance. "I've been there before. Twice, actually."

Knuckles crossed his arms. "Yeah, but Eggman keeps coming back. He's always building some new death machine or trying to take control of an ancient monster… But luckily, I'm always around to save the day," he declared, thumping his chest. "And, I _guess_, Sonic helps too, when he can," he added.

Tiki giggled softly. "I imagine you're quite the hero in your world, then?"

Knuckles grinned. "You bet I am! I'm not the guardian of the Master Emerald for nothing! Me 'n' Tails 'n' Sonic, as long as we're around, Eggman doesn't stand a chance!"

Knuckles' gaze wandered around the field. In front of him, both Vulpixes were play-wrestling, with the Kantonian form pressing the advantage. To the left, Waluigi seemed to be conversing with Mimikyu, with the black and pink bear silently watching them from behind a tree. And to the right, the metallic creature was simply watching the scene with the squid.

"You must be a capable leader, then."

Knuckles blinked. "What?"

"I said, you must be a capable leader, then," repeated Tiki.

The echidna blinked again. He stared down at the ground. A sudden weight made itself known in his chest. "Yeah," he mumbled. "I guess."

As much as Knuckles tried to hide it, Tiki quickly caught on to the change in his tone. "…Are you alright, Knuckles?" she asked softly.

Knuckles had turned away. From what little Tiki could see of his face, he looked much older and… paler? No, _haunted_ was a better word for it. She knew that look all too well. "Knuckles…" she said delicately. "Have you ever… been in war before?"

For a moment, Knuckles didn't respond. It was hard to read his face. At last, he sighed a deep, fatigued sigh as though he'd just left a harrowing battle. "Did I ever tell you about the time Eggman won?"

Tiki gripped the rock she sat on. "N-no."

Knuckles nodded gravely. "Eggman… beat Sonic once. In only six months, he took over almost all of the world. Ninety-nine percent, I think."

"Oh, gods," breathed Tiki. "How did you manage it?"

He took a deep breath. "It wasn't easy…"

And so, Knuckles told Tiki everything about the war that followed. He told her of Sonic's assumed death, of the assembly of the Resistance, of one particular soldier who was vital to the reclaiming of the planet, and of the discovery that not only was Sonic still alive, there was also another Sonic who had arrived from another dimension to help them. He turned to face the manakete now, with the grief-stricken, weary look of a leader who'd barely gotten out of an ambush alive. "A couple days later, I thought of a strategy that would give us an advantage…"

* * *

"_Listen up!" declared the echidna to the room. "We just got word that Eggman's forces are undermanned at his headquarters in Metropolis!"_

_The chameleon stepped forward. "They're probably staging somewhere else as part of Eggman's plan." he guessed. "This could be our only chance to take the city."_

_Knuckles grinned. "Exactly! That's why we're focusing on a full frontal assault on Metropolis!" He took out a large sheet of paper and unrolled it on the table at the center of the room. It contained a map of the city, with markings and notes detailing when and where to strike. "I'm calling it, 'Operation Big Wave'!"_

"_Who cares what it's called?" asked a white hedgehog from the corner. "What's important is to have a well thought out strategy."_

"_I thought up this strategy in about a minute and a half," said Knuckles proudly. "We're going in hard and fast, and we're not gonna stop until Eggman's army is destroyed." _

_There were some murmurs among the group. Move in quickly with reckless abandon? A minute and a half? It definitely seemed like a risky venture. _

"_Sonic is busy fighting Shadow, but the rest of us can do this!" continued the echidna. "We've got the strength and the spirit to win. There's no finer group that I'd want to fight with."_

"_Ha! Great speech! " laughed a large green crocodile, shooting him a thumbs-up. "Let's give Eggman an old-fashioned beatdown!"_

"_They have more in sheer numbers," said a fox with two tails, "so the idea of a quick, focused attack isn't bad. We also have Sonic—I mean, the _other_ Sonic—so I have no doubt we can do this! Also, if we can destroy the Phantom Ruby, we should be able to send the other Sonic home! …At least, I hope so." He awkwardly scratched behind his head. "This is all new territory for me."_

_Knuckles pounded his fists together. "Okay, let's head straight for Eggman's HQ! Time to save the world, people!"_

_A cheer went up among the Resistance. They picked up their weapons and hoisted them high. It was time to take back the planet!_

* * *

"…So then what happened?" asked Tiki. "What happened after you took Metropolis?"

Knuckles' expression darkened. "Well, we arrived at the site, and just like I said, it was undermanned…"

* * *

"_Alright! Time for Operation Big Wave!" said Knuckles as he watched the rookie take out a couple of robots on the monitor. "We'll surge forward and sweep the enemy away!"_

_He turned to face the pink hedgehog on his right. "How's Eagle Squad holding up?" he asked._

"_Eagle Squad is doing fine," replied the hedgehog. "They've got Aero-Chasers and Buzz Bombers inbound, but other than that, nothing too serious."_

"_Perfect!" grinned Knuckles. "Just as planned. All we need to do now is keep up the pressure until they fold!" He pushed a button to his right. "Fox Squad, report! How's it looking!"_

"_This is Fox Squad," came a voice from the other end, slightly muffled by static. "We've got… _way_ more Egg Pawns than we thought, but they shouldn't be too much trouble."_

"_Good," responded Knuckles. "Don't let up! Show no mercy!" He turned back to watch the rookie launch off a ramp and soar through the air. Okay, great, everything was going well so far! They were one step closer to taking back the—_

"_Commander! We've got trouble!"_

_Knuckles whirled around to face the speaker, a young bee wearing a pilot's helmet. His bright eyes were wide with fear, and he was pointing frantically at the screen. "Th-there was a guy, wearing a weird mask, and—_Look!_" He pointed at the monitor._

_The rookie was still flying through the air, but a newcomer had joined them. A mysterious being wearing a silver mask had appeared right besides them, making them flinch._

_Knuckles stared at the monitor, eyes wide. "What's going—is that—"_

"_Infinite!" barked an all-too-familiar voice, so loud and harsh even from their headquarters. "Activate the Phantom Ruby! Make them wish they'd never been born!"_

_The landscape, and reality as they knew it, suddenly warped and shifted before their very eyes. The entire world seemed to invert its colors as the rookie slowly flipped upside-down and began to somehow fall upward. Amidst the chaos, the stranger had abruptly disappeared._

_Without thinking, Knuckles grabbed the closest radio and pushed a button on it. "Stay calm!" he ordered, trying to keep his voice steady. "What you're seeing isn't real!"_

"_It's no use!" yelped a soldier. Knuckles could hear cannon blasts and screaming in the background. "Our troops are scattering in the confusion!" There was a sudden, shrill scream from the radio, and then cold static._

_Knuckles felt his stomach drop. He barely even caught what Silver was saying behind him, instead choosing to stare fixedly on the main monitor. In spite of what had just happened, the rookie was making their way through the city, shooting at robots as best they could. He noted, to his alarm, that the cityscape was now filled with bizarre, monstrous figures, tall and snakelike, all bearing the same mask that the stranger was wearing._

_Without warning, that mysterious figure appeared once again to invert the gravity, sending the rookie flying into a building._

"No!_"_

_Mercifully, the rookie was able to use their weapon to swing back and land on the building's side on their feet. Despite everything, they rushed ahead._

"_This is Eagle Squad!" came a voice on Knuckles' left. "We're caught in enemy crossfire!"_

"_Snake Squad requesting reinforcements!" came another voice to Knuckles' right._

"_This is Fox Squad!" said a third. "We can't hold out much more!"_

"_Eighty percent of our forces have been wiped out!" cried Amy. "And we've lost contact with the rest!"_

"_One flip of the Phantom Ruby switch and everything falls apart on us!" groaned Vector._

_Knuckles barely registered the crocodile's words as he stared at the monitor. Eighty percent. Eighty percent of their forces, people he'd readily call his friends _gone_, wiped out by Eggman's newest lackey. "The rookie… is our only hope now," he stammered into the radio._

_He and the rest of the Resistance watched numbly as the rookie blazed through the rest of the city, almost flinching as one of the giant figures rose a hand and swatted away a chunk of road that the soldier was running on. Amy's words continued to bounce around in his head. Eighty percent gone, the remaining unaccounted for, all because of his stupid, _stupid_ strategy— _

_Knuckles pounded on the control panel, making everyone in the room jump. "We can't go on like this," he growled through gritted teeth._

_Espio swallowed hard. "As much as it pains me to say it," he acknowledged, "the best we can do now is to live to fight another day."_

_The echidna's shoulders slumped as Charmy gave the order to retreat. "We haven't lost yet," said Silver. "Let's fall back and regroup." The live feed of the scene faded from the monitor._

_Knuckles sat back in his chair, exhausted by the past… He checked the clock. Thirty minutes? Only a half hour for that new guy to cut through their forces like nothing. There was a heavy silence as the rest of the Resistance stood watching in stunned realization._

"_It… it was a good plan, Knuckles," said Amy reassuringly._

"_It almost worked!" added Tails. "Well, up until that guy showed up…"_

_Knuckles gave no response. He simply sat there, staring blankly at the screen._

"_Did… did Eggman win again?" asked Charmy innocently._

"_Charmy, please," chided Espio, shooting the bee a warning glare._

"_Lemme handle this," whispered Vector. He walked up to where Knuckles sat and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, listen. It's not the end of the road yet. That rookie made it through, didn't they? They're probably one step closer to stopping Eggman as we speak!"_

"_Indeed," agreed Espio. "As long as we've still got one toehold, we're not down for the count just yet."_

_Knuckles was silent for a minute. Ultimately, he stood up and massaged his temples. "Call any and all survivors that you can find," he ordered. "We need to think of a new plan."_

* * *

Tiki could only stare at the echidna, her face a mixture of horror and sympathy. "Oh, _gods_, Knuckles, that… that's horrible. I'm so sorry."

But Knuckles simply waved off her sympathies. "Hey, it's fine. I… I thought up that plan in a _minute and a half._ Gosh, I'm such an idiot. What was I _expecting_ to happen? I probably—"

Tiki stopped him before he could say any more. "Knuckles, you listen to me right this minute! I will not sit idly by and watch you belittle yourself so!" She took a deep breath. "I've seen my fair share of war, too, you know. I've seen even the cleverest of tacticians fall. Did this… Infinite, you called him? Had he ever done something like that before?"

The echidna thought for a moment. "…Actually, now that I think about it, I'd never even _seen_ him before."

"Did he ever do something similar after that?"

Knuckles shook his head. "…No."

"There it is, then!" declared Tiki. "It was most likely a one-time trick!" Her voice softened. "Listen to me, Knuckles. You had no way of knowing that Infinite would be able to do that. It's like what Mar-Ma—er, Marth would tell his men: you can't blame yourself for something out of your control. What happened that day was not your fault."

"…Maybe," grouched Knuckles. "But I still gotta take responsibility for it."

Tiki contemplated his words for a bit. "That's true," she admitted. "Let me ask you this, then. If someone said that about Sonic, how would you feel?"

"I'd feel… really mad," said Knuckles. "I'd probably tell 'em off or something."

"Okay," said Tiki, nodding her head. "Now if someone—oh, let's say Waluigi—said that about Tails, how would you feel _then?_"

Knuckles pounded his fists together. "I'd slug 'em, that's what I'd do!"

"So why is it okay when you say it about yourself?"

Knuckles' shoulders slumped. "I—_oh._"

Tiki was staring directly into the echidna's eyes now. "You have quite a lot of accomplishments under your belt for someone so young. You said you've beaten Eggman many times before, right? Even then, his conquest didn't last too long." She turned to stare up at the clouds floating lazily above. "I will be frank. Even Marth made his fair share of mistakes. But he never chose to dwell on them. He remembered them, yes, but he kept them in mind to motivate him. So keep up the good fight, Knuckles. You're the guardian of the Master Emerald. I know you're more than capable."

Knuckles was silent for a long time. He simply sat there, staring up at the sky and looking very much like he was holding back from saying or doing something. At last he turned and faced Tiki with a small smile. "Thanks, Tiki," he mumbled.

"My pleasure," replied the manakete. The two sat in silence for some time.

After some time, however, Knuckles frowned. "I… well, what now?"

Tiki turned to him. "Hmm?"

"It's just… Man, this is awkward." Knuckles rubbed the back of his head. "You helped me feel better about my experience, but when you told me about your nightmares, all I could do was just change the subject, I guess. It… it doesn't seem fair to you."

Tiki giggled softly. "It's quite alright! You listened to my plight. It's nice to have someone to open up to."

Knuckles nodded. "…Yeah. Yeah, it is," he said quietly.

On the other side of the field, Waluigi had finished regaling Mimikyu with tales of thrilling tennis tournaments from a somewhat-obscure era.

"And _pow!_" declared Waluigi, clapping his hands together. "I sent-a that tennis ball right past that loser Skipper's racket and into the bleachers! Oh, the crowd went wild! The last of the Varsity Class defeated!" The lanky man sighed as he idly twirled his mustache. "Wehhh… I wonder what happened to that Royal Tennis Academy, eh? Last I heard of 'em, they were facing plenty of budget cuts…"

Mimikyu said nothing, for it knew nothing of the Royal Tennis Academy, or of tennis in general.

A thought suddenly came to Waluigi. "Say, wait a minute… you're a Pokémon, right?"

Mimikyu tilted its head. Or rather, it tilted the Pikachu head of its costume.

"And Pokémon have trainers…"

Mimikyu continued to stare at Waluigi.

"Maybe… maybe _I_ could be your trainer!" Waluigi reasoned. "It'd be perfect! Two underappreciated, unrecognized talents… it's the perfect underdog story! We'd take on the world! Whaddya say?" He held out his hand for Mimikyu to take.

Mimikyu did not respond.

"Wait a minute," muttered Waluigi, abruptly withdrawing his hand. "First, I'd need to catch you in one of those Poké Balls… but where can I find one…?"

Mimikyu began to shuffle away.

"Ah, no matter! If Waluigi can't find a Poké Ball, Waluigi will just steal one instead! Waa ha ha ha! So, anyways, we—h-_hey!_ Where're ya going?!"

Mimikyu did not listen, instead hurrying away a little faster.

"Waaah?! Well, _fine!_ I don't need you, anyway! I'll find a different Pokémon to be my partner! There's loads of 'em here! One of them has to be desperate enough to take me! Then you'll really regret it! I'll—"

A tall shadow fell over Waluigi, interrupting his tirade. "Waah? Hey! Who's in my light?" He whirled around to face the offender. "Listen, bub, do you know who you're… who you're talking to…"

Standing in front of Waluigi was the black and pink Pokémon, staring down at him with big expressionless eyes. Its white ears twitched faintly as it sized up the lanky man. In its paws, it held a thick branch, leaves still clinging onto it.

"…Um." Waluigi darted his eyes at the nearby tree, which was conspicuously missing a bough. He scanned the Pokémon with his Pokédex.

_Bewear, the Strong Arm Pokémon. Bewear possesses immense physical strength, and it is often called the most dangerous Pokémon in the Alola region. It shows affection by hugging its companions, but many trainers have left this world after their spines were shattered by a Bewear's hug._

Waluigi swallowed. His knees began to knock together. "Ahh… nice bear?" he whimpered.

Bewear set the tree branch on the ground like a fencepost. With a single swing of its massive paws, it shattered the branch, sending wood chips and leaves flying.

"Uh-oh."

Bewear looked at Waluigi dead-on, and he could've sworn its eyes glinted maliciously.

"_Waaaaaaaaaaah!_" Quick as a whip, Waluigi turned around and fled for his life, with Bewear in hot pursuit. Waluigi's lanky legs allowed him to cover plenty of distance, but the Bewear was speedy in its own right, taking wild swings at him that just barely clipped the nape of his neck. Other Pokémon were quick to leap out of the way of the chase to avoid being trampled.

Tiki and Knuckles, who had heard Waluigi screaming, came running up to see what was happening. Both of them stopped short when they saw what exactly had Waluigi worried.

"Waaah! Help me! _Anyone!_" cried Waluigi, narrowly avoiding a small Pokémon that was still wearing its eggshell.

"Wh—_ohhh,_ jeez," said Knuckles, skidding to a stop. "What the heck is that?!"

Tiki had just finished checking her Pokédex. "Okay, don't get too close to it! It's strong enough to break someone's spine with its hugs!"

"Its _hugs?!_" repeated an incredulous Knuckles. "What's that gotta do with anything?"

"Oh, I don't know, it's what the Pokédex says!" replied Tiki.

"Hey!" called Waluigi. "Less arguing, more rescuing me!"

Just then, a blue squid peeked out from behind a boulder, observing the scene. When Waluigi passed by, it promptly turned upside-down and hit the ground, the force of it causing Waluigi to trip and fall flat on his face. Tiki gasped, while Knuckles took off towards Bewear.

Luckily, Waluigi was able to clamber back to his feet and run away, just as Bewear was about to catch up. However, in his haste, something fell out of his pocket and clattered to the ground.

Waluigi gasped. "My tennis racket!"

Bewear stopped where Waluigi had fallen and bent down to pick up the racket. It examined the item, turning it over in its paws and holding it up to the light. Tiki and Knuckles, who had caught up to the scene, came to a stop behind the Pokémon, making sure to stay out of swinging distance.

"Give that back!" demanded Waluigi, regaining his bearings a bit. "It's mine!"

Bewear gave the racket a practice swing, demonstrating an excellent forehand. Then, without breaking eye contact, it swiftly crushed the tennis racket between its paws. A few small splinters fell unceremoniously to the ground, the sole remnant of the piece of equipment.

Waluigi was devastated. "_Noooooo!_" he wailed, sinking to the ground in anguish. "My precious racket!" He glared up at Bewear, who stared blankly back down at him. "You…" he growled. "You destroyed my most precious belonging…" Slowly, Waluigi rose back to his full height. His eyes welled with tears of rage. "You… you… _Waaaaaaah!_" With a furious squawk, Waluigi charged the Pokémon, filled with a new fervor in spite of the size difference.

He was swiftly reminded of the size difference when the Bewear seized him by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up off the ground.

Tiki inhaled sharply, wincing as the bewear tightened its grip. "Bewear! Drop him!" she ordered.

The Bewear did not budge. Waluigi flailed around in its grip.

"Let him go!" shouted Knuckles. "Don't make us make you!"

Still, the Bewear did not make any movements.

"_Bewear…_" said Tiki in a dangerous tone. Her hand drifted towards her dragonstone.

At last, Bewear relented. It finally relaxed its grip on the lanky man, who fell to the ground and scrambled away. The bear quickly lost interest in the scene, walking away and swinging its arms carelessly.

Knuckles walked up to the still prone Waluigi and offered a hand. "You alright, man?" he asked.

Waluigi, who had regained his composure, clambered to his feet and crossed his arms. "Bah! I didn't need your help," he grumbled. "I could've handled that thing on my own."

"No, you couldn't," deadpanned Tiki.

Waluigi merely stuck his tongue out at the manakete. "But more importantly…" He gently picked up the shards of his tennis racket, as though they were the remains of a brother. "Waaah…" he whispered mournfully.

"Oh, right," muttered Knuckles, awkwardly scuffing at the ground. "Uh… sorry about your tennis racket, man."

"Indeed," agreed Tiki, who was unsure what to make of the display. "I suppose it, ah… served you well."

"No kidding," whimpered the purple-clad man, his eyes shining. "I've probably won five or six tennis tournaments with this racket. Oh, my poor, sweet, Charlotte…"

"Yeah, I—I'm sorry, _Charlotte?_" asked Knuckles.

"The name I gave her," explained a tearful Waluigi. "Of all the sports equipment I own, she was nearest and dearest to my heart…"

Tiki stared blankly at Waluigi. "Oh." There was a long, terribly awkward silence, punctuated by Waluigi's sniffles and soft, grief-stricken "waah"s.

"Well, y'know," said Knuckles, mercifully breaking the silence, "I think we are just about done here, don'tcha think?"

"Oh, yes, definitely," agreed Tiki. Waluigi could only glumly nod as he cradled Charlotte's remains like a baby. Together, the three of them marched out of the Day Care, resembling a strange funeral procession with Waluigi as the pallbearer. If there was an audience present, they would have been inclined to think that it was a pretty tacky funeral.

The sun was higher in the sky now, shining through the windows and filling the hallways with light. They stopped in front of one of the windows, watching some of the younger Smashers who had gone outside to play. Tiki noted that Pichu was among them, laughing and capering across the fields.

"Look at them," murmured Waluigi. There was none of his trademark sourness in his voice as he spoke, a subdued despair taking its place. "It's a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining and children are playing. A perfect day. And yet…" He sighed deeply as he cradled what was left of Charlotte, taking out a rose with his other hand. "This world is so harsh and unforgiving. Waah…"

Knuckles and Tiki stared at him. "Uh… right," said Knuckles, his brow furrowed. "Weirdo…"

"Waluigi, do you know what karma is?" asked Tiki.

"Of _course_ I—" Waluigi paused, then glared at Tiki from beneath his hat. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that had you not kicked Pichu earlier this morning, _Charlotte_ would still be with us," replied Tiki, her face hard.

Waluigi's face contorted. "Have you no respect for the dead?" he spluttered.

"Dude. It's a _tennis racket,_" countered Knuckles. "You can just get another one."

Waluigi's eyes darted back and forth between Tiki and Knuckles. He held what was once Charlotte closer to him, ignoring the fragments that embedded themselves into his face. "Neither of you are invited to the funeral," he hissed. And with those final words, he stomped off, whispering sorrowful, comforting words to the pieces of Charlotte that he carried. Tiki and Knuckles were left alone

"Sheesh. What a weirdo," muttered Knuckles as he watched him go. He turned back to Tiki. "What a morning, huh?"

Tiki nodded drowsily. "As exciting as this was, it certainly took a lot out of me. I should…" She yawned. "I really should be catching up on sleep."

Knuckles nodded. "At any rate," he said, checking his wrist for a watch that he quickly remembered he didn't have, "I need to take off anyways. You know how Guile is about being on time for training." He waved goodbye as he began to speed off. "Catch you later!" he called.

Tiki waved farewell to the echidna. She stared pensively out the window, from which she could still see some of the Pokémon in the Day Care. Sure enough, Darkrai was still there, watching the other Pokémon and not moving from its spot.

No matter how much she gazed at the Pokémon, Tiki still couldn't shake the feeling that she was in great danger.

Her and everyone else.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: RIP Charlotte. She will live on in our hearts and our tennis rackets.**_

_**Hey, it's been a while since we've heard from Mother Brain. Wonder what she's up to...**_


	10. The First Steps Towards Domination

The full moon rose to shine brightly on the World of Trophies, easing the land into a restful sleep. Tiny pinpricks of light pushed their way into the darkening sky like inquisitive children peeking through keyholes. The night descended like a blanket on both the sky and the World of Trophies.

Within the dormitories of the Smash Mansion, young Starfy was fluffing up his pillow to get ready for a good night's sleep. He brushed his teeth, took his glass of water, and turned off the light (but not before opening the blinds just a crack).

As the star hopped into his bed, he glanced over at a small collection of pictures in frames on his nightstand. "Good night, Starly," he whispered. "Good night, Moe. And good night, Mom and Dad," Starfy said, gazing at the last picture, one of himself and two other star-like creatures in formal clothing.

With well wishes said, the young prince closed his eyes and began to drift off to slumberland, ready for a night of pleasant dreams.

…

…

"…_Starfy…_"

Starfy turned over in his sleep.

"…_Starfy…_" A cold wind blew through the room.

Starfy blearily opened his eyes. What time was it? As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, he noticed that his bedroom was darker than normal. The moon was still shining through the window, but outside of the small patch of light on the floor, the rest of the room was completely black, like his eyes were still closed.

"…_Starfy…_" There was that voice again, so deep and wicked, it sent a chill up Starfy's spine. It was painfully familiar to the young prince.

_But how?_ thought Starfy as he cowered in his bed. _Me and Starly and Moe beat him that time! How is he _here?!

"_Starfy…!_" The voice was much louder now, making the room shake. From within the deep darkness of the room, Starfy could barely make out a shape slithering across the floor.

"_You thought you defeated me then, didn't you?_" asked the voice. The intruder moved closer. Starfy felt the urge to stand up and fight, but his body refused to cooperate.

"_Hnn hnn hnn hnn… you truly are as foolish as I thought you were, starfish. As long as evil exists in the world, I shall return, time and time again, until we are victorious… until the world is plunged into darkness…_" The shape now rose to its full height, much taller than Starfy, taller than Lyn or even Rodin, and stepped out of the shadow.

A frightful figure, tall enough that its head barely grazed the ceiling, and covered in a substance that dripped from its body like ink, but much more unpleasant to the senses, leered down at Starfy with blank white eyes. It grinned maliciously as the star tried to cover his head with his pillow.

"_I am Evil!_" bellowed the intruder. "_And all shall perish within my grasp!_"

Starfy opened his mouth to scream as Evil reached out to seize him with a cold metallic hand. It seemed like the whole world was shaking and falling apart…

_Thud._

When Starfy opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at the ceiling. It seemed that he had somehow fallen off his bed. As he righted himself, he saw that the room was empty. There was no trace, no sign at all that Evil had been present. He clung tightly to his bedsheet. What _was_ that? Had it just been a dream after all? But it seemed so real…

A knock sounded at his door, snapping the star out of his reverie. The door opened, and Jeff peeked his head in. "Starfy?" he asked. "Are you all right? I heard a scream, so I came running…"

Starfy paused. "I… I had a bad dream," he mumbled.

"Oh, dear," Jeff gasped. He stepped into the room, worry etched onto his face. "Do you need anything? A drink, perhaps?"

"Um…" Starfy swallowed hard, glancing at the darker portion of the room as though something might pop out at any moment. "Yeah. Some warm milk, I think."

"I see…" Jeff motioned for Starfy to follow him, and the two headed towards the kitchen to heat up some milk. As the duo shuffled down the halls and out of sight, the imposing form of Nightmare stepped out of the shadows, grinning wickedly. Glancing down the hall to make sure Jeff and Starfy were gone, he drifted in the opposite direction towards an old wooden door, which he gently pushed open.

As he expected, Mother Brain was already waiting for him, looking imposing and authoritative as she sat at the far end of the room. Devil and Ghirahim were also present, sitting on opposite sides of the table. Devil looked impatient, grouchily tapping a claw on the table, while Ghirahim looked quite relaxed, slouching forward in his chair and resting his head in his palm.

"Well, well, well," said Ghirahim by way of greeting. "Look who's on time tonight."

Nightmare grinned mirthlessly in response. "_You know what they say,_" he rasped. "_The early bird catches the worm._" His gaze glided over to the sole empty seat in the room. "_Speaking of worms… I wonder what's keeping our friend Albert._"

"Pah! You know how humans are," growled Devil. "I would not be surprised if he simply forgot about this meeting."

"Nor would I," echoed Mother Brain. "You all saw how he acted at the last meeting. Such a feeble and weak-willed creature, as most humans tend to be… Had he lived on Zebes, I doubt he would have survived for more than a few minutes."

The sound of footsteps, heavy and quick, sounded outside the room, getting closer and closer. The door swung open, and in came Dr. Wily, looking very, very tired, and very, very anxious.

"Speak of the devil," drawled Ghirahim.

"You are late," stated Mother Brain. Her voice was cold and emotionless, but her displeasure was very clear. "Explain yourself."

Dr. Wily hobbled into a chair (to his displeasure, the only available seat was next to Ghirahim) and tried to catch his breath. "I was _busy_… trying to build a legion of robots for your… for your army. Just like you said, remember?!" he gasped.

"An army?" repeated Mother Brain. She stared hard at Wily, as if she was staring directly into his soul. The mad doctor shrunk under her gaze, suddenly feeling like he was pinned to his chair. It was a cold, hard, stare, one that reminded him of Mega Man after he had destroyed Wily's latest death machine and had him cornered on the floor and begging for mercy.

She leered and leered for quite some time until, to Wily's relief, she broke eye contact with a scoff. "You are getting ahead of yourself, Albert," she droned. "When did I ask you to build an army?"

Dr. Wily lost his voice. "I—er—but I—you said—"

"_Honestly_, Albert," continued Mother Brain with a roll of her eye. "Upon your arrival to this world, I was informed that you were one of the greatest geniuses of your own world. While my expectations have been drastically lowered since then, I supposed you would at least _act_ the part."

This remark earned some snickers from Ghirahim and Nightmare. Dr. Wily's normally pale face flushed red. "E-excuse me! I _am_ a genius! I—"

"Please, save your defenses," interrupted Mother Brain. "You need not waste your time building your little robots just yet." She turned to the others. "As for the rest of you… for tonight's meeting, I shall give you your instructions to take the first steps towards my plan."

"Now wait just a moment," cut in Devil. His glowing red eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "I have noticed that you have not yet divulged any details regarding this plan of yours. How am I to gain control over my realm if I do not know what exactly I am working towards?"

"Had you not interrupted," countered Mother Brain, "you would have given me the opportunity to tell you. At any rate, your inquiry has given me a segue into my explanation." Her cerebrum throbbed and contorted (Dr. Wily gagged and looked away), and a small compartment on the bottom of her glass case opened up to project a hologram onto the center of the table. It quickly took the shape of two large hands, the left one contorting its fingers.

"Master Hand and Crazy Hand," said Mother Brain. "The Spirits of Creation and Destruction and organizers of the Smash Brothers Tournament. You may have asked yourselves, 'How are they able to bring not only many fighters from a multitude of different worlds?'"

"Is it not their formidable cosmic power?" asked Devil.

"A reasonable guess," replied Mother Brain. "The answer lies in the invitations they send to new challengers." The hologram changed to take the shape of an envelope sealed with a familiar logo. "During both this tournament and the last, I have seen them send these envelopes to different worlds using technology to open rifts across time and space. Such a wonderful implement would allow me to call in the Space Pirates with but a single press of a button." She swiveled around to face Dr. Wily. "Which is where _you_ come in, Albert."

Dr. Wily jumped, not expecting to be called on so early. "M-me?"

"Yes, you. Do try and keep up. Your mission is to take their delivery technology and reverse engineer it to open rifts to other dimensions. Is that doable for you?"

"Doable?" snorted Wily. "Please! Have you forgotten who I am? Stealing and hacking into a mere mailbox is child's play for me!"

Mother Brain remained unimpressed by his boasting. "It better be," she said. She then turned to Nightmare. "And you, Nightmare Wizard…"

The phantom stirred. "_And what shall be the role that I play?_" he asked.

"Your job is to spy on the other inferior creatures gathered here," said Mother Brain. "Find out their weaknesses. Discover their primal fears. Use them in case any meddlesome individuals attempt to pry into my intentions."

Nightmare smiled cruelly. "_I'll do everything in my power,_" he promised. "_To tell you the truth, there is one soul I've had my eye on for quite some time now…_"

"Patience, Nightmare," advised Mother Brain. "Everything in due time. You may tell me about this once we reach the next step."

"Oh, I envy you, Nightmare," confessed Ghirahim. "I really do. Now then, what are my instructions?" asked the demon.

Mother Brain peered at him for a moment before speaking. "I am sorry to disappoint you," she intoned, "but you have no instructions until later. While your skills are vital to my success, to use them now would raise too much suspicion. For now, your task is to keep quiet and drive away any potential intruders. Understand?"

Ghirahim's face fell. He seemed quite disappointed, but he made no further protest. "Understood," he mumbled, curling his lip and glancing down at his sabre.

"The same goes for you, Devil," continued Mother Brain. "We cannot afford to be too rash at this juncture." Unlike Ghirahim, the Devil made no protest at all, instead staring impassively at her.

Mother Brain shut off the hologram and turned to the rest of the band of villains. "I would advise all four of you to keep your wits about you. For I have reason to believe that anyone could be spying on us at any given moment!" She stirred in her glass case. "At any rate, I expect you all to follow my commands to the letter. Meeting adjourned. _Do not fail me_." She finished this statement with a rather pointed glare at Dr. Wily.

The rogues left with the parting threat still fresh in their minds. Dr. Wily looked particularly rankled. "Bah! Who does that Mother Brain think she is?!" he fumed. "The least she could do is treat her supporters with some respect!"

"Respect is not given, human," growled Devil. "It is earned, whether through words or through deeds. How do you suppose I gained control of Devil World? I seized the darkness and struck fear among you mortals. The underworld was in turmoil before I came to power, and I brought it to order." The demon grinned as thoughts of grotesque monsters filled his brain. "Now I command a glorious, powerful army, ready to serve me at a moment's notice. And once _you—_" he jabbed a finger in Wily's chest to punctuate his point— "steal that technology for the flesh-and-steel creature to use, they will be under my control once more. I _suggest_ you do as she instructs, with minimal grievance on your end."

Ghirahim clapped slowly and deliberately in response to his speech. "My, what a story, Devil." he chuckled. "You are truly an inspiration to us all." His gaze suddenly fixed on Wily. "You ought to consider yourself lucky, Albert," he sneered. "Mother Brain let someone like _you_ handle such a crucial step so early in the operation." He regarded his own sabre with a longing, almost hungry look in his eyes. "I know she said my turn will come later, but I can't help but feel a bit impatient. So, I'm telling you now, if you should spoil my fun before it has a chance to begin…" The demon lord was looming over the scientist now, licking his lips in anticipation. His words came out in a deadly whisper. "…it won't be _Mother Brain's_ fury you will have to fear." Ghirahim snapped his fingers brusquely, and he disappeared in a shower of red and gold diamonds.

Devil also took his leave, turning into a bat in a puff of smoke. "You would do well to heed the demon lord's words, human," he warned. "Lord Ghirahim may be theatrical in his words, but his thirst for carnage is no laughing manner." He turned a corner and flew out of sight, leaving the man to ruminate on his words.

Dr. Wily sighed. "Why does such a brilliant mind as me have to do so much to get the bare minimum of respect?" he asked no one in particular.

A cold chill ruffled his lab coat as an answer. It was not the cold of the night wind, but a deeper, more ghastly cold, a cold that made his breath catch and his legs turn to jelly. Nightmare glided in front of him, his pale face as gaunt and cunning as ever.

Dr. Wily glared at him as he waited. "Well? Aren't you going to threaten me, too?" he grumbled.

"_Not tonight, Wily,_" assured Nightmare. "_The fear I sense in you now will provide me sustenance for a fortnight._" With a final, bone-chilling laugh, he transformed into a dark orb covered in stars and soared down the hallway and out of sight, leaving Wily alone.

Wily sulked and huffed, crossing his arms. "Hmph! Disrespect _me_, will they?! '_Measly little robots_', eh?! Well, I'll show _them!_ I'll show them all! I'll build war machines the likes of which the world has never seen before!"

He paused mid-tirade, remembering Devil and Ghirahim's words. _I suggest you do as she instructs, with minimal grievance on your end…_

…_It won't be Mother Brain's fury you will have to fear…_

"…Right after I steal Master Hand's mailing device, of course…"

Wily hurried away, in the opposite direction of his demonic cohorts. He'd have to put aside his ego for now if he wanted to take over his world. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him… He quickly shooed those thoughts away. He had a deadline to meet… and he was _not_ looking forward to the consequences if he should fail.

* * *

But little did the mad doctor know that someone was indeed watching him, from the moment he had stepped out of the room at the end of the meeting. The figure had wanted to stop Wily and ask some questions, but he had run off before he had the opportunity. Now, they could only watch as he fled the scene. The onlooker gritted their teeth.

"I don't know what you're up to, Doctor…"

Zero traced a finger along his Z-Saber.

"…but mark my words, I'm going to put a stop to it."

* * *

_**Author's Notes: Mother Brain has given her subordinates directions for her plan. But as Dr. Wily flees, it seems that Zero is catching on to them. Will she achieve her goal of complete domination over the world?**_

_**I do like writing these villainous characters, but I rarely got to use them in previous chapters. Now that Dr. Wily and Nightmare have missions in mind, you'll definitely be seeing more of them...**_


End file.
